Boy Scouts announces proposal to lift gay ban for youth members: Adult members wouldn’t be covered by the proposed vote, however. They certainly picked a pretty quiet news day to announce this news.
Today in WTF: A Gawker tipster has revealed that the Boy Scouts of America aren’t sure if those scary Gays™ can keep their eyes/hands to themselves. The BSA is apparently polling members about the appropriateness of homosexual leaders attending overnight camping trips, and other rules/activities which could/would be impacted by a proposed change to the BSA’s policy barring gay members. While some argue that certain questions have merit — like questions about the appropriateness of gay teens sharing a tent — the overall tone and apparent need for such a poll doesn’t seem very inclusive to us. Thoughts?
After careful consideration and extensive dialogue within the scouting family, along with comments from those outside the organization, the volunteer officers of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Executive Board concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy.Boy Scouts of America - In a new statement, announcing the organization’s decision to postpone a vote to determine whether or not to repeal a three-decade old policy barring gay members and leaders from joining the BSA. The vote was apparently delayed due to a request from a coalition of leaders representing roughly one-fifth of the Boy Scouts’ currently registered members. source
According to new reports, the Boy Scouts of America are currently asking for public opinions on their potential plan to abandon a long-standing policy which barred gay members/leaders from joining the organization. If you’d like to share your thoughts, call the Boy Scouts of America national headquarters (972-580-2330) or send an email to nationalsupportcenter@scouting.org (h/t to OutsideTheArk) source
The Boy Scouts of America, one of the nation’s largest private youth organizations, is actively considering an end to its decades-long policy of banning gay scouts or scout leaders, according to scouting officials and outsiders familiar with internal discussions.
If adopted by the organization’s board of directors, it would represent a profound change on an issue that has been highly controversial — one that even went to the US Supreme Court. The new policy, now under discussion, would eliminate the ban from the national organization’s rules, leaving local sponsoring organizations free to decide for themselves whether to admit gay scouts.
The policy has been officially recognized since 1980, though we suspect it was quietly enforced for a much longer period in some areas. Thoughts?
Copyright 2009-2013 Ernie Smith • Ask us stuff! • E-mail us • Follow us on Twitter • Follow us on Facebook
