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Tag: boy scouts of america

  • Robert Gates Elected President of Boy Scouts of America

    Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was officially elected national president of the Boy Scouts of America this week. Gates is the 35th person to hold the title.

    In his new position, Gates will be the head of the organization’s National Executive Board for two years. Gates was once a member of the National Executive Board, as well as a president of the National Eagle Scout Association. He is also an Eagle Scout and has received awards from the Boy Scouts of America for his service to the organization.

    “The Boy Scouts of America had a profound influence on my childhood and helped form the foundation of my career in public service,” said Gates. “I’ve had tremendous opportunities in my life, but I can say without hesitation that my memories of Scouting are every bit as vivid and meaningful as what came later. I believe every boy deserves an opportunity to experience what Scouting offers. Scouting teaches youth how to set and achieve goals, develops a deep commitment to serve others, and creates leaders for tomorrow who are not only prepared to serve their communities, but also prepared for life and leadership. Just as it did for me.”

    Gates served as defense secretary under both President George W. Bush and President Obama. During his time at the Pentagon, Gates presided over some of the most difficult years of the war in Iraq. He also led the U.S. military through a controversial transition away from its anti-gay “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

    The Boy Scouts of America has also recently seen controversy over gay rights. Just months ago the organization allowed openly gay boys to become boy scouts. Before that, openly gay scouts had been banned, a policy that had been criticized by gay rights organizations and a few celebrities. Though the new policy does not allow for openly gay scout masters, the organization is now being criticized by religious groups for its more inclusive stance.

    Image via the Boy Scouts of America

  • Gay Scout Leader: Fired For Views or Sexuality?

    The Boy Scouts of America have fired Geoff McGrath, the scoutmaster of Seattle’s Troop 98. What’s unique about this incident is that it is believed that McGrath was the only openly gay scoutmaster in America.

    The organization as a rule does not condone openly gay scoutmasters. They’ve only recently allowed gay youths to be scouts.

    The alleged reason for McGrath’s firing is that he was “deliberately injecting” his sexuality into the job.

    Said spokesman Deron Smith, “Our policy is that we do not ask people about their sexual orientation.”

    McGrath was let go shortly after NBC News contacted the Boy Scouts of America after his interview. The organization claims they had no idea that McGrath was an openly gay male prior to being contacted for a statement.

    The 49-year-old told King 5 News this isn’t true. He claimed the Boy Scouts, “were fully aware” of his “prior activism.”

    The Boy Scouts of America says they were concerned that the interview with the openly gay scoutmaster would somehow serve a “personal agenda” that violated their policies.

    McGrath said that he’s “extremely disappointed” that he was let go.

    “They are complaining that [homosexuality] is a distraction to Scouting and they don’t seem to understand that the distraction is self-inflicted.”

    The situation represents a two-edged sword, particularly for non-heterosexual members.

    It seems that attempting to participate as a Boy Scout while being gay is asking to be ostracized. You mustn’t tell anyone you’re gay as admission alone disagrees with the values of their establishment.

    The problem arises as there seems to be no consideration as to the message this sends to young gay scouts who may be talented and dedicated are left feeling unwanted.

    The aggressive stance of the Boy Scouts towards openly gay males is especially controversial given the organization has come under heavy fire for their failure to act on nearly a century’s worth of child sexual abuse allegations.

    Leaving some to wonder…exactly who are they trying to protect and from what?

    Image via YouTube

  • Southern Baptists Oppose Gay Boy Scout Policy

    The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) this week officially expressed “opposition to and disappointment” with a recent Boy Scouts of America (BSA) policy change with regards to homosexual scouts.

    Back in May, the BSA National Council voted to remove a ban on openly homosexual scouts, though openly gay scout leaders are still banned. The organization faced pressure to change the policy from current scouts, former scouts, and pop stars.

    The SBC’s condemnation came at the organization’s 2013 Annual Meeting this week in Houston. It states that the SBC believes the new policy will “needlessly politicize human sexuality and heighten sexual tensions within the Boy Scouts.” The resolution does not explicitly prevent SBC churches from hosting Boy Scout troops. SBC leaders have called the resolution “balanced” in its approach toward the new policy.

    Though the SBC’s resolution does not mandate cutting BSA ties, it does explicitly show the SBC believes the new Boy Scout policy is only a “first step” along the path to the organization accepting homosexuality. From the resolution:

    RESOLVED, That we express our well-founded concern that the current executive leadership of the BSA, along with certain board members, may utilize this membership policy change as merely the first step toward future approval of homosexual leaders in the Scouts…

    The resolution also encourages churches that abandon the Boy Scouts to use the Royal Ambassadors instead. The Royal Ambassadors program is a Christian-based Boy Scouts-like program for boys in grades 1 through 6. From the resolution:

    RESOLVED, That we encourage churches that choose to sever ties with the Boy Scouts not to abandon their ministry to boys but consider expanding their Royal Ambassadors ministry, a distinctively Southern Baptist missions organization to develop godly young men…

    The SBC is a highly conservative sect of protestant Christianity with churches found throughout the U.S., and particularly throughout the southern U.S. The organization’s “Statement of Faith” includes the opposition to what the organization calls “sexual immorality,” which includes homosexuality. The SBC, andmany other U.S. Christian organizations are large sponsors of the BSA and Boy Scout troops, and were the primary opposition to the BSA’s new policy.

    RESOLVED, That we express our gratitude for the thousands of individuals within the Scouting family and the culture at large who expressed their opposition to the BSA executive leadership’s intent to change its membership and leadership policies in regard to homosexuality, leading to the compromise recommendation it presented to the BSA National Council…

  • Bill Gates On Gay Ban In Boy Scouts: It Should “Absolutely” Be Lifted

    Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, who also happens to have been in the Boy Scouts, thinks the Boy Scouts of America should end its ban on gay members and leaders. He said so, quite matter-of-factly, at a Politico event in Washington D.C. this week.

    When asked what he learned from scouting, Gates said, “How to tie knots, how to weave baskets, how to hike long distances without complaining too much, how to cook food in rainy, drizzly mountain places where we carried the food in twenty miles. It was fun.”

    When asked which of those things he still does, he said he still ties knots every once in a while. “I haven’t weaved any baskets recently,” he admits, noting that he does go hiking with his kids.

    When asked if the Boy Scouts should rescind its ban on gay members and leaders, Gates said, “Absolutely. Because it’s 2013.”

    That got a lot of applause. Here’s the video:

    Gates’ comments are getting quite a bit of attention, and perhaps his influence will have an impact on the Scouts’ position going forward. We’ll see. The organization has been polling members on their “attitudes” toward gay people.

  • Carly Rae Jepsen Boy Scouts Appearance Cancelled Over Gay Rights

    Singer Carly Rae Jepsen, known for her 2012 hit song “Call Me Maybe,” has announced that she is canceling her appearance at the national Boy Scouts of America (BSA) jamboree over the organizations exclusion of openly gay members.

    The national Scout jamboree is held around once every four years and brings tens of thousands of Boy Scouts together for camping and events. Jepsen was scheduled to perform at this year’s jamboree, which is being held at a National Scout Reserve in West Virginia.

    The singer announced her decision via her Twitter accout, where she stated that she “believes in equality for all people” and “will continue to support the LGBT community on a global level.”

    The band Train has cancelled its appearance at the jamboree as well, saying that it “strongly opposes any kind of policy that questions the equality of any American citizen.”

    The National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America last month considered a change to its current policy, which bans openly gay scouts. The new policy would have allowed local scout troops to set their own policies (discriminatory or not) with regards to gay members. The board did not take up the policy, and instead delayed the decision until its annual meeting in May. Many of the Boy Scouts’ troops are sponsored by religious organizations, such as the Mormon Church, that openly oppose gay rights.

    “No fair-minded media outlet, corporation or celebrity will want to partner with the BSA as long as the organization puts discrimination and anti-gay bias before the needs of young people,” said Rich Ferraro, VP of Communications GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). “GLAAD will continue to call for partners of the BSA to speak out against the anti-gay ban until the BSA puts Scouting first and adopts a national non-discrimination policy. Carly Rae Jepsen and Train’s decisions not only send the right message to the BSA, but remind LGBT young people that they are supported and accepted.”

  • Boy Scouts Anti-Gay Policy is Here to Stay. For Now.

    Boy Scouts anti-gay policy was apparently on the verge of being permanently altered, which would have allowed gay men and women to become scout leaders. However, to clarify these rumors, the organization recently stated that their policy against homosexuals is standing firm.

    The genesis for this particular story begins in West Virginia, where Jen Tyrrell, a mother and Boy Scout troop leader, lost her position due to her sexuality. A firestorm quickly ensued, with thousands of people embarking on a quest to change the policies that discriminate against those individuals looking to assume leadership roles within the organization. What started out as a local story soon found its way into the national spotlight.

    After putting together a petition and gathering approximately 300,000 signatures, she sent the document to the Boy Scouts of America. Although the BSA claims they’ve received the petition, a spokesperson stated that a change isn’t currently in the works.

    According to the Huffington Post, however, the Boy Scouts of America is currently reviewing a resolution that would allow individual units to decide whether or not to allow gay men and women to participate in the program.

    When CBS 21 News inquired about the organization’s decision to leave the policy in place, a spokesperson nimbly avoided the question, stating, “We don’t have an agenda on this issue. We don’t ask about people’s sexuality. The policy is the way it is, because we do not believe that our youth development program is the right place to have this discussion.”