I thought the Boy Scouts were supposed to be leaders, not followers. Why did it take so long?
Even the Supreme Court was ahead of them. So much for leadership.
Unanimous vote of the Boy Scouts executive committee to allow and accept gay males as leaders. There’s one more vote to go, but for all intents and purposes, it’s done.
link
The interesting question for me – what will the Catholic and Mormon-housed boy scout troops (those housed in various churches) do?
Will they set up a new organization – the Bigoted Scouts of America?
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They could set up Hitler Youth 3.0.
The BSA still isn’t fully on board yet when it comes to abolishing discrimination within the group’s structure. The article cited outlines it.
My understanding is that the BSA is slow to move on this is due to their predominant funding from Christian sources. Since the BSA is a privately funded organization, they are exempt from adhering to govt. laws. Thus it becomes a moral issue.
The BSA dragged their feet because they are a private organization and can make any rules they want. Sure they are chartered by congress, but they are still a private institution. Second, imagine the liability of a known homosexual, even with the mandatory two deep leadership taking a group of young boys out camping. If anything, ANYTHING ever happens, or even if someone makes the wrong comment thinking they are being cute, imagine the shitstorm that would bring down. Even if untrue, even more now that the gate has been left open. Would parents want their children, and lets be realistic here, bigoted or not, want their children to participate if there is a (now even bigger) chance their child may be targeted for inappropriate touching? I am proud of them for holding out so long in the face of our squeaky wheeled homosexual community.
Why do people always make the ignorant homosexuality = pedophilia leap?
The same leap that makes it against the rules for me, a known heterosexual, from taking a bunch of teenage girls out camping.
@majorrich You could make that same leap to high school coaches.
I’ve read about more female teachers having sex with male students.
@chyna Sure. That’s why the two deep (two adults at all times) rule is so good. I’m an equal opportunity suspicioner. There is safety, but my point is there is exposure to allegation whenever you have an opposite sex/child relationship. Homosexuals would count as females under the Scout rule.
@Darth_Algar The Girl Scouts, or 4H and even our school district when it comes to cheerleader camp.
Ok. Now what does that have to do with equating homosexuals with pedophiles?
The chance that a male leader of young girls might have allegations of touching young girls.
Leadership in venerable (old) institutions usually involves old folks with long memories. It’s tough overturning decades of traditions, flawed or otherwise. My hat’s off to the scouts for coming around quickly after the court decision. But I agree that an organization dedicated to building leadership should LEAD. It would have been to the everlasting credit of the Boy Scouts had they been in the front lines of this or any other struggle for justice.
It’s more than fair to categorize the Boy Scouts as a “decidedly conservative” institution. It should be no surprise therefore that being in the forefront of any social movement is frowned on as “fractious agitation and divisive activism.”
Here is a copy of the letter by Dr. Robert Gates regarding the decision.
@majorrich
Again, what does that have to do with people trying to equate homosexuals with pedophiles?
Astute and pragmatic. The man (Gates) recognized that “the ship had sailed”.
Good Grief! @Darth_Algar how obtuse can you be? A homosexual becomes equivalent to a female and therefore allegations of a female touching a Child inappropriately, even if it never happens is a legal minefield.
Ok, that’s got to be the most shit stupid thing I’ve read all week.
I think in general, it’s always good for two adults to be together at all times when working with kids. Not just for the safety of the kids, but for the safety of adults. Some kids will say anything if they get angry or bored enough. If there are two unrelated adults, one can back up the other if a false allegation is made.
At most public schools, when you become a teacher, you are told to NEVER let yourself be alone with a student behind a closed door. Keep the door wide open or have a second teacher with you whenever you need a one on one talk with a kid. I would think that most organizations would or should follow this rule.
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