Boy Scouts Vote for Homophobia

The Boy Scouts of America announced it would continue to deny membership to gay scouts and scout leaders on Tuesday, saying the policy would protect the rights of families that prefer to address issues of sexuality in private.

This week, ended a two-year evaluation by the organization of their policies relating to gays being allowed to join which led them to reaffirm their decision.  They had both sides weigh in on the issue including celebrities, CEOs and Boy Scout activists.  This was a huge first step for the LGBT community even though gays still can’t join because the Boy Scouts of America did decide to look into the issue.  You never know if in the future with more pressure on the organization they might have to change their policies.

“The vast majority of the parents of youth we serve value their right to address issues of same-sex orientation within their family, with spiritual advisors and at the appropriate time and in the right setting,” said Bob Mazzuca, chief Scout executive.

“While a majority of our membership agrees with our policy, we fully understand that no single policy will accommodate the many diverse views among our membership or society,” he said.

In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of the Boy Scouts of America to ban gays whose conduct, the Boy Scouts argued, violated its values.

This decison is a major blow to activists Jennifer Tyrrell, a lesbian mother from Ohio who was ousted as a Scout den leader and treasurer in April because of the organization’s policy and Zach Wahls, an Eagle Scout with two lesbian mothers.

“A secret committee of 11 people can’t ignore the hundreds of thousands of people around the country — including thousands of Eagle Scouts, scout families, and former scouts — that want the ban on gay scouts and scout leaders removed,” Tyrrell said in the same statement.

“We’ve heard this line before, and I’m sure they’ll keep saying this until the day they decide to change the policy. … We know where this is headed,” Wahls said in a statement. “Above all, what is most disappointing about today’s announcement is the secretive nature surrounding how this conclusion was reached.”

GDUSA Opinion:  It is time for the LGBT community to join together and make sure we protest their policies until they allow gays to openly join the Boy Scouts of America organization.  I was unaware that this policy was in place to begin with and it’s a shame a kid would be singled out because he was gay.  Let’s stand up for what we believe in!

One thought on “Boy Scouts Vote for Homophobia

  • July 19, 2012 at 12:27 am
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    Thank you very much for dedicating this article to this shameful decision. It just seems unbelievable that this kind of attitudes still exist and are still accepted by many. We are in the 21st century.