Big, big news out of Texas, where the Boy Scouts of America have lifted the ban on membership based on sexual orientation, allowing for openly gay scouts to join for the first time in the organization’s history.
According to CNN, the vote maintains a ban on gay adult leaders.
From CNN.com:
“The resolution also reinforces that Scouting is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether heterosexual or homosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting,” the 103-year-old organization said in a statement.
The BSA said there are no plans for further review of the issue.
“The Boy Scouts of America will not sacrifice its mission, or the youth served by the movement, by allowing the organization to be consumed by a single, divisive, and unresolved societal issue,” it said.
Predictably, there are large swaths of the country now unbelievably offended by this decision:
Boy Scouts of America today abandoned decency, integrity and courage in favor of popularity, convenience and aimlessness. It’s a sad day.
— theFinancialSkinny (@FinancialSkinny) May 23, 2013
The Boy Scouts of America have every right to torpedo themselves. An alternative scouting org will arise. #GodIsNotMocked
— Alo Konsen (@OhioCoastie) May 23, 2013
Unfortunately for them, they’re part of a minority who appear to be content to choke on the dust of history. Which is cool for them I guess.
What remains to be seen is how openly gay scouts will react when they age out of the organization and are left unable to remain part of an association that they’ve taken part in since they were children.
Congratulations, Boy Scouts of America — you’ve only got a little further to go.
This article appears in May 23-29, 2013.
An inevitable and positive decision.
But I was amused by this: “…Scouting is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether heterosexual or homosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting…”
Does that “contrary” sexual (shudder!) conduct include masturbation?
As a heterosexual Eagle Scout (1981) I applaud the Boy scouts of America for allowing openly gay boys to join the organization. In my days, there was gay Boy Scouts, they just remained “in the closet”. Now it is time to allow for gay Boy Scout troop leaders!
After the heat and fiery rhetoric dies down, everyone will begin, or should, focus on the long-term fallout as a result of this decision. What will happen to the organization, as a whole, because of this decision?
Think.