While the gay and lesbian community have had a number of wins with New York State legalizing gay marriage and President Barack Obama voicing support for the same, The Boys Scouts of America, on Tuesday, reaffirmed its long-standing policy of banning openly gay scouts and troop leaders.
According to a New York Times article, the exclusion policy "reflects the beliefs and perspectives” of the organization. The article continues:
Under growing public pressure to reconsider the issue, in 2010 the Boy Scouts formed a committee of 11 “volunteers and professional leaders to evaluate whether the policy was in the best interests of the organization,” the statement said. The committee “included a diversity of perspectives” and engaged in “extensive research and evaluations,” the statement said. But the committee was kept secret until now, and the Scouts declined to reveal its membership or methods.
Pete Carney, director of the Bellmore-based lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth advocacy group called this a "truly a sad day for LGBT individuals and anyone that believes in equality and fair treatment of all people."
“LGBT youth continue to be at higher risk for suicide, homelessness and still often face rejection from their families and communities," he continued. "The Boy Scouts of America have missed a great opportunity to embrace these wonderful young people and become a part of the solution. This is voted and approved homophobia and discrimination which in 2012 is just unacceptable. LGBT individuals and their many straight allies should be outraged that this policy continues.”
James Fallarino, public affairs director for the 19-year-old Long Island Gay, Lesbian. Bisexual and Transgender Services Network, concurred.
"Unfortunately, the Boy Scouts of America have continued this discriminatory policy that goes against their own mission to support young men from being productive members of society. A lot of people were hopeful that they would change their policy to be more in line with other organizations, such as Girl Scouts.”
Do you agree with the scouting policy? Post your thoughts in the comment section below.
This case PROVES YOU DEAD WRONG concerning the 1st Amendment. Read it if you have the ability, I doubt you do considering the ignorance you spew concerning the Constitution. Boy Scout's V. Dale (2000) http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=000&invol=99-699
Liberal Hypocrisy has no bounds!
I'm just incredibly proud of these kids who were actually taught to except people despite their differences and stood up against discrimination http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/eagle-scouts-return-medals-over-organization-anti-gay-184508093.html
http://easthampton.patch.com/articles/op-ed-scouting-nature-and-the-digital-generation
BSA is an organization that does a lot of great things for boys, so I'm not going to throw out the baby with the bath water. But it saddens me that they are so exclusionary against gay adolescents - children who have no more choice in being gay than I had in being straight. I hope that the boys who join BSA follow the letter of the BS Law - including the parts about being helpful, friendly and kind. There is no place in BSA for bullying. My son, an Eagle Scout told me he had gays boys in his troop. It wasn't trumpeted or decried - it was a matter-of-fact thing and did not trouble anyone. Years later he is still in touch with many friends from his troop, both straight and gay. I think how a child is raised and what they are taught by their family - tolerance or bigotry - will determine how a child responds to situations such as this. For this is not a "left" or "right" issue - it is a tolerance or bigotry issue. My daughter was in Girl Scouts - and despite their more inclusive policy towards gay Americans the sky didn't fall. And finally, the ultimate irony - it is most likely that Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts, was himself gay: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/20/opinion/scoutings-gay-founder.html?_r=1
Here's the definition because I don't think you understand the meaning of bigot: big·ot noun \ˈbi-gət\ : a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance. (from Merriam-Webster) Have a nice weekend.