The Boy Scouts of America have proposed a policy change that would allow gay Scouts in their ranks, but would continue to deny leadership positions to “open or avowed homosexuals.” This policy is both a step forward and a slap in the face.
By adopting this dual policy, the BSA is saying they will tolerate gay Scouts, but will not allow them to progress into leadership ranks once they reach adulthood. It will still not allow Scouts with “homosexual” parents to have their parents participate as troop leaders. If one reads the proposed resolution, it is clear the BSA thinks there is a high risk that “homosexual” leaders are pedophiles, or at best, immoral:
WHEREAS, Scouting is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether homosexual or heterosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting; and . . . WHEREAS, youth are still developing, learning about themselves and who they are, developing their sense of right and wrong, and understanding their duty to God to live a moral life; . . . the Boy Scouts of America will maintain the current membership policy for all adult leaders of the Boy Scouts of America.
Jennifer Tyrrell, the Ohio mom expelled as den leader of her son’s Cub Scout troop because she is a lesbian, told Gay Star News, “The Boy Scouts are once again forcing me to look my children in the eyes and tell them that our family isn’t good enough.”
Michelangelo Signorile at HuffPo put it, “Sorry, but there’s just no middle ground on bigotry.”
Hear, hear. What the proposed policy also indicates to me, however, is that the BSA is feeling the pressure to change. Let’s keep it up.