Boys and Men Allowed At Last, Kind Of...

Long time readers of my blog will know my opinion against the heart breaking policy of the Boy Scouts of America allowing discrimination against both gay scouts and gay leaders.  In 2013 they voted to allow gay boys to be involved in BSA but they had to leave the organization at age 18, not a victory of any kind since boys were still being taught that discrimination and hate were "okay".

The topic has caused a lot of heated debate from both sides and many communities and the Scouts for Equality have fought hard to end the discrimination.  But not Wisconsin's Governor Scott Walker who not only saw nothing wrong with the ban but also called the Supreme Court's decision regarding gay marriage a 'grave mistake'.  Of course, in true Scott Walker style he is now back-pedaling on the Scout issue since two weeks ago the BSA finally removed the ban on gay adult leaders. 

Their decision had a lot to do with the mounting tide of lawsuits, I'm sure, and they are still allowing local groups to "make their own decisions" about who to allow to be leaders so areas that are entrenched in patterns of discrimination will most likely continue for the time being.  The Mormon Church is considering forming their own scouting organization so they don't have to adhere to the policy of non-discrimination at all.  Their church isn't the only one still discriminating, other Christian churches have ended their affiliation with BSA and even the Archdiocese of Louisville won't allow an openly gay leader to return to lead due to the loophole left by the wording of the BSA's new rules.  I'll never understand the phrase "Christian values" when used in this kind of context.  Didn't Jesus teach about loving thy neighbor?  

Mural in Reno, Nevada

In Reno I saw this mural of what appears to be a Native American boy.  The Boy Scouts of America is also guilty of rampant "cultural appropriation", if you don't know what that's about check out this link to a great blog post and its comments, not the only one I found on the internet just the one I liked.  I didn't know they were doing this myself since we didn't let Cory be a part of scouting due to their discrimination policies against gay leaders.  Girl Scouts of America has never discriminated and to my knowledge they don't disrespect other people's cultures either but instead put effort in to helping girls explore other cultures which in my opinion is a better way to build leaders for tomorrow.  Just saying.

 If I'm not mistaken, the artist's blog can be found at this link .   More murals at Monday Mural here.

Hey, let's all keep working to end hate and intolerance, okay?  Progress is slow but recent political events show that it's working and each generation will hopefully be better educated about and more tolerant of ALL our citizens.

Why I Refuse to buy popcorn from Boy Scouts

I posted a comment on my Facebook page showing my disappointment that Boy Scouts of America is still standing firm in their discrimination against gays, whether they be children or male or female adult leaders. A family member of mine just commented in reply that Boy Scouts is for boys and Girl Scouts is for girls and if gays don't want to stay in the closet they should form their own organization. Last time I checked gay boys were boys, right?

As a former Girl Scout leader I could not imagine the heartbreak of having to exclude a child due to their feeling the need to be honest about who they really were, not to mention having to be the one providing the environment where discrimination was part of the agenda.  As a Girl Scout leader I helped my girls try new things and gain confidence by encouraging their independence and unique voices. It didn't matter whether I or anyone else in the troop agreed with everything they said or believed, Girl Scouts is about making girls into the women of tomorrow. I only wish Boy Scouts of America had such aspirations.

If encouraging homophobia and discrimination is how they're creating a better world for the future, someone needs to tell them that's the world of the past and we're ready to move on from hate and exclusion. Every time I refuse to buy popcorn I look the leader in the eye and say I don't support Boy Scouts because they discriminate.

 Weren't those some happy looking young ladies?  Those girls loved each other, flaws (real or imagined) included. We had girls who had family troubles, girls who had difficulties at school, and one girl who was incredibly allergic to mosquitoes so couldn't camp with us. All were made to feel welcome and they all looked to us adults to set the tone in regards to inclusion and tolerance. Those girls watched and learned from every thing we said and did and sometimes that responsibility terrified me, but mostly it was just a joy to spend time with them.

By the way, the CEO of AT&T, Randall Stephenson, executive board member of the Boy Scouts of America, said he was committed to ending the ban. He takes over as president in 2012, according to Wahls. I sure hope this is true, but he's been "working toward ending the ban" for the past two years and failed already. I can't imagine being part of an organization that openly teaches children that only some people are valuable citizens. I was a proud member of the Girl Scouts of America and support their mission: building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. I hope someday the Boy Scouts of America feel the same way, but until then it's all about the cookies and not the popcorn for me!