Boy Scouts to Consider Allowing Gay Scouts and Leaders

[William769]

The Boy Scouts confirmed today that it is considering a change of policy that lets gay scouts and leaders serve openly in local chapters.

The announcement comes after activist Zach Wahls delivered 275,000 petition signatures to the group and met with its leadership. Wahls, an Eagle Scout who has two moms, was outraged that a lesbian mother had been removed as den leader for a Cub Scout troop. And he got back into his uniform and delivered the petition on her behalf last week.

"I love the organization and I refuse to stand by idly as it forfeits its cultural relevancy at the very moment this country needs it most," said Wahls, author of My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family.

Ohioan Jennifer Tyrrell was a volunteer for her 7-year-old son's troop and said that after a year of service she lost the post and had her membership revoked "just because I happen to be gay." Tyrrell was told that being gay meant she did "not meet the high standards of membership that the BSA seeks."

http://www.advocate.com/society/youth/2012/06/06/boy-scouts-consider-allowing-gay-scouts-and-leaders

Heres to you Zach Wahls.

[Gothmog]

1. Great News

I am leader in my Temple's troop and we have been working from within to change this stupid policy. We have several gay leaders in our District and no one cares so long as they do not wear their scout uniform to a gay pride event. The SCOTUS case on homosexuals in Scouting involved a young scout leader who actually did wear his scout uniform to a gay pride event (wearing a scout uniform to any political event is a violation of the rules).

My committee chair and I have talked to the senior/paid leadership of our council (which is one of the larger councils in the country) and they are in favor of changing the policy. I personally felt that I could do more from within the organization than from without. Our temple's troop has been refusing to participate in the council wide fund raising efforts and instead had been supporting a troop of economically disadvantaged scouts.

I would love to see scouting make a change here. The major barrier will be the LDS units who have threatened to form their own organization if the policy is change. Mormons only account for less than 5% of the population in our council area but account for 15% of the scouting units.

I am hopeful that change will come. It will take a while but I think that it will come.

[William769]

2. Good for you!

I was a Boy Scout way back when (Bluegrass Council) was some of he best times of my life. To see what it has become today just makes me so very sad.

[Gothmog]

3. There are a large number of leaders who want to change the policy

My troop is in the Sam Houston Area Council which is one of the larger councils in the country. The District that my troop is in based in Southwest Houston and has some very progressive leaders. Again, there are several District leaders who are gay but no one cares. There is a very extreme version of don't ask, don't tell wherein no one cares so long as a leader does not wear their uniform to a gay pride event.

There are a large number of leaders in BSA who want to change the policy. Change is not easy. For a while, councils were in effect bending due to problems with donors such as United Way. I think that our council knows that if the BSA policy was ever enforced, the Council would lose a great deal of support and funding.

I hope that change come soon. It would be nice to see such change.