Boy Scouts Continue Ban Against Gays – Should Gays Not Be Allowed To Join?
The Boy Scouts of America has decided to keep their controversial policy banning gay scouts. After a two-year confidential review, the organization released this announcement on Tuesday. While many protestors and activists have attempted to challenge the decision, the committee reached a “unanimous consensus” that it was the “best policy” for the BSA said spokesman Deron Smith.
The Associated Press reports:
The Scouts cited support from parents as a key reason for keeping the policy and expressed hope that the prolonged debate over it might now subside. Bitter reactions from gay-rights activists suggested that result was unlikely.
The Scouts’ national spokesman told The Associated Press that an 11-member special committee, formed discreetly by top Scout leaders in 2010, came to the conclusion that the exclusion policy “is absolutely the best policy” for the 112-year-old organization.
Smith said the committee, comprised of professional scout executives and adult volunteers, was unanimous in its conclusion — preserving a long-standing policy that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2000 and has remained controversial ever since.
As a result of the committee’s decision, the Scouts’ national executive board will take no further action on a resolution submitted at its recent national conference asking for reconsideration of the membership policy.
The Scouts’ chief executive, Bob Mazzuca, contended that most Scout families support the policy, which applies to both adult leaders and Scouts.
“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 advisers and at the appropriate time and in the right setting,” Mazzuca said. “We fully understand that no single policy will accommodate the many diverse views among our membership or society.”
The organization is missing out on a very important opportunity to teach children tolerance of sexuality at a young age. Closing the doors to those who identify as anything other than heterosexual does not align with the organization’s mission. If the BSA is supposed to provide programs and outreach for young people by building character and training them to become participating citizens, not allowing gays does not align.
