Boy Scouts right to surrender discriminatory policies
Lewis DiuguidThe push and pull of anti-discrimination forces finally is getting the Boy Scouts of America to give up its anti-gay policies.
The Boy Scouts will decide soon whether to accept gays as Scouts and as leaders in the organization, The Associated Press reports.
The U.S. Supreme Court said in 2000 that the Boy Scouts had a right to exclude gays from Scouting units. But that prompted protests that haven’t relented.
The public outrage has been the push causing sponsorships at public schools with nondiscrimination pacts to abandon sponsoring Scouting troops. Another push came from corporations and foundations, which withdrew funding for Scouting.
The pull was from President Barack Obama. He ended the “don’t ask don’t tell” practice in the military that prevented gays from serving openly in the armed forces.
But President Obama also came out in favor of gay marriage and included gays in his inaugural address. The president on Jan. 21, the holiday for the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., said:
“We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.
“It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.”
Let’s hope we get to that point — some day soon.
Mark Robertson
3 months, 2 weeks agoAllowing homosexual Boy Scout leaders would be a disaster. It appears that someone has gotten to the leadership of the Boy Scouts. Does everyone cave these days? The Boy Scouts were founded on Christian values. The disorder of same sex attraction is not immoral in itself, and those with the condition can be helped. Homosexual activity does go against Christian values though. Allowing homosexual leaders in the Boy Scouts would thus approve that lifestyle. As mentioned, that would be a disaster. The “gay” activists are trying to infiltrate most all institutions. It has made it into public schools, but that is not good enough for them, they want to pervert all youth. Those who claim to be “gay” and claim to want to be a Boy Scout leader, are just trying to make a statement. If they really wanted to be a leader, they could become one. All they would have to do is not talk about sexuality like virtually all other scout leaders do. Scouting is not a sex education organization. It is about hiking, camping, swimmming, archery, Indian lore, and so much more. Why can’t we just let young people be young people. Thank you. Mark Robertson Independence