Boy Scouts open ranks to gay youth on Jan. 1
Source: AP
The Boy Scouts of America will accept openly gay youths starting on New Year's Day, a historic change that has prompted the BSA to ponder a host of potential complications ranging from policies on tentmates and showers to whether Scouts can march in gay pride parades.
Yet despite their be-prepared approach, BSA leaders are rooting for the change to be a non-event, comparable to another New Year's Day in 2000 when widespread fears of digital-clock chaos to start the new millennium proved unfounded.
"My hope is there will be the same effect this Jan. 1 as the Y2K scare," said Brad Haddock, a BSA national executive board member who chairs the policy implementation committee. "It's business as usual, nothing happens and we move forward."
Some churches are dropping their sponsorship of Scout units because of the new policy and some families are switching to a new conservative alternative called Trail Life USA. But massive defections haven't materialized and most major sponsors, including the Roman Catholic and Mormon churches, are maintaining ties.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/Boy-Scouts-open-ranks-to-gay-youth-on-Jan-1-5098227.php
mahannah
(893 posts)Android3.14
(5,402 posts)Now open it up to gay scout leaders.
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)The world will NOT end!
Although Mr. Duck guy probably will say it has.
undeterred
(34,658 posts)Yeah, because its like that in so many ways.
progressoid
(50,597 posts)X_Digger
(18,585 posts)AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)thesquanderer
(12,272 posts)AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)Shit. Well.
You know.
TBF
(33,776 posts)it was very forceful in supporting the change so I enrolled my son this year. Next up is working on the ban against gay leaders to get that overturned as well. So far from what I've seen it is a good organization though not as open and encouraging as the girl scouts (I've had my daughter in there for years - no requirement to believe in god, economic help for scouts who are less fortunate etc ...).
I'm determined to support Boy Scouts because they are moving in the correct direction, even if it is at a snail's pace.
The younger generations are with us on this so it's just a matter of the old dinos dying off.
CTyankee
(64,751 posts)have membership open to all girls, with no mention of sexual preference?
Hekate
(94,081 posts)IIRC, back when the BSA was taken over by the bigots the GSA was asked about their policy and made the statement I referenced.
oldandhappy
(6,719 posts)Cracks me up. You are OK now. You are not OK later. Really??!! Sigh.
nomorenomore08
(13,324 posts)of the ban on gay Scout leaders would prompt from the far Right. Of course, you and I know that a gay man is no more likely than a straight man - perhaps less likely - to harm a child. But that doesn't matter to the extreme right-wing Christians because, frankly, they're fucking insane and delusional.
jmowreader
(51,283 posts)The Boy Scouts of America have always been against Scouts having sex. I know the Scout Handbook used to tell the membership not even to masturbate, claiming it was contrary to the principles of clean living. So come on: asexual youth are asexual youth regardless of orientation.
mahannah
(893 posts)Hekate
(94,081 posts)... or a similar euphemism. Look back to the 1950s-1960s-1970s.
Xithras
(16,191 posts)While the exact rules are set at a council level, it's always been the position of the BSA that sexual activity among scouts is incompatible with their ethical requirements. They acknowledge that teens will have sex, but even discussing it is grounds for dismissal. There have been cases where heterosexual Eagle candidates were turned down solely because they were open about their sexual activities. When the BSA announced their policy change toward gay youth, the very same announcement reiterated their standard that ALL scouts refrain from sexual activity of any type.
Hekate
(94,081 posts)... It's not over yet, by any means, as the BSA will eventually allow gay leaders as well, but it is a huge victory nonetheless.
Response to Jesus Malverde (Original post)
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arcane1
(38,613 posts)If your kid is gay and wants to be in the scouts, shouldn't they be allowed to?