By SAM THOMPSON – Web Staff
“On my honor I will do my best, to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”
This sentence is uttered by over 2.8 million boys in the United States every week at the beginning of each Boy Scouts of America meeting. It is the Scout Oath, the contract by which all Boy Scouts strive to live.
Recently, the Boy Scouts of America has reassessed the notion of allowing open homosexuals to associate with or join its program. Graphic by Sam Thompson.
The last phrase of the scout oath is an allusion to the current membership policy flowing directly out of the scouts’ mouths. “Morally straight” according to the Boy Scouts of America website, is explained as “being clean in your actions defined by traditional Christian values.”
The BSA came out with a press release Jan. 28 of last week suggesting they are reassessing their current membership policy along with how they define that final portion of the Scout oath.
The current stance of BSA membership acceptance holds: “While the BSA does not proactively inquire about the sexual orientation of employees, volunteers, or members, we do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals.”
The Associated Press published “Obama Says Boy Scouts Should Allow Gays as Members” on Feb.3 explaining that a proposed membership amendment would, instead of barring homosexuals from Scouting at the national level, “the different religious and civic groups that sponsor Scout units would be able to decide for themselves how to address the issue — either maintaining the exclusion or opening up their membership.”
Instead of taking responsibility for fixing the issue at hand, the BSA is simply passing its colossal catastrophe down to the local levels for thousands of individualistic solutions. In some areas, this BSA legislation could worsen chances for homosexuals in anti-gay scouting areas. Leaving it to the locals will not serve as a total solution.
As Senior Patrol Leader of my Boy Scouts of America troop, I plan all of the group activities, trips, meetings and help the scouts advance their rank with the help of our adult leaders.
These boys have learned numerous skills and character traits in their years with the BSA. The scouts love the program with all of their hearts and strive to attain the highest honor in scouting by achieving Eagle Scout rank.
The sheer idea that one of the scouts I guide each week at meetings would be denied the revered rank of Eagle if they were discovered to express love towards their own gender is disheartening. If after years of dedication to scouting they were just simply told “no,” what kind of organization is that?
The BSA’s right to ban homosexuals was upheld in a 2000 United States Supreme Court case Boy Scouts of America v. Dale. The 5 to 4 decision held that “the presence of that person affects in a significant way the group’s ability to advocate public or private viewpoints.” thus the BSA is able to ban particular people from their group.
It is unfathomable why the BSA would desire that fewer individuals enjoy and take part in the program that is created under its own values, to expose more people to its ideals.
President Barack Obama, the Honorary President of the Boy Scouts of America, most evidently supports the proposition that all people be accepted into the BSA, or anywhere in the US, regardless of who they love.
“My attitude is that gays and lesbians should have access and opportunity the same way everybody else does in every institution and walk of life,” Obama said to the Associated Press. “The Scouts are a great institution that are promoting young people and exposing them to opportunities and leadership that will serve people for the rest of their lives. And I think nobody should be barred from that.”
Although these potential changes to the membership acceptance are past due, it is a relief that for the first time ever they have stated intent on changing this hateful policy. Regardless of a step in the right direction, the BSA must step up to the plate and take a swing for basic human rights.
