As many of you know the Boy Scouts of America just recently reaffirmed their long-time rule that they will "not grant membership to open or avowed homosexuals."
Just tonight I saw an article on cnn.com that detailed a group of Eagle Scouts that had chosen to return their medals and disaffiliate from the national organization. For those of you that don't know, the rank of Eagle Scout is the highest rank to which a Boy Scout has to aspire. It is the pinnacle of the Boy Scout hirearchy; the rank which every parent hopes their son will achieve. In order to reach the rank of Eagle one must earn at least 21 merit badges, assume multiple leadership roles within his troop, and plan and lead a service project in his community. Many men that earn the rank of Eagle reap the benefits later in life; when looking for a job or finding connections within the community. To think that more than 100 men (and counting) across the country have returned their medals is stunning.
I, myself, am an Eagle Scout. I take tremendous pride in the work that I put into the process and the experiences that I gained because of the Boy Scouts of America. Earning that award was the toughest thing that I did in high school. It forced me to learn how to be 100% organized, how to manage my time, how to lead and manage others, how to plan a large scale event. The list goes on and on. When I hear that these men are giving up all of that to stand up for what they believe in my heart swells.
Before each and every meeting we recite the Boy Scout Law:
A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
The national organizations most recent ruling is hypocritical against almost all of the above 12 pillars.
A Scout is loyal: A Scout should be loyal to all of his peers, regardless of sexual orientation. If am I loyal to my friends I am right there by their side through thick and thin. I don't care if they are gay. They are my friend and I will be loyal to them. In this case, being loyal means sticking up for their beliefs and rights.
A Scout is helpful: A Scout should be helpful to his peers by recruiting them to join the ranks of Boy Scouts and teaching them skills that will help them with the rest of their lives; regardless of sexual orientation.
A Scout is friendly: A Scout should be friendly to everyone around him; regardless of sexual orientation.
A Scout is courteous: "A Scout is polite to everyone regardless of age or position. He knows that using good manners makes it easier for people to get along." on. That excerpt is directly from the Boy Scout handbook. If a Scout is truly courteous his is willing to accept other Scouts into his ranks; regardless of sexual orientation.
A Scout is brave: "A Scout can face danger although he is afraid. He has the courage to stand for what he thinks is right even if others laugh at him or threaten him." If a scout is brave he is willing to stand up to his national organization in order to stand up for what he believes in and defend the beliefs of his peers; regardless of sexual orientation.
A Scout is reverent: "A Scout is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties. He respects the beliefs of others." If a Scout is truly reverent then he respects the beliefs of others; regardless of orientation.
When I recite the Boy Scout oath at the beginning of each meeting I pledge "To help other people at all times.." Pushing people away from my organization is not what I consider helping them.
Unlike the Eagle Scouts in the cnn.com article, I will not be returning my Eagle Scout medal and disaffiliating from the national organization. I fully respect what they are doing, but I feel there is more to be done.
The path down scouting was a fulfilling one. I learned so many life skills that will be instrumental in my future success. I believe that every young man should have access to the same program that I did. Yes, Boy Scouts of America has the ability to to choose whom they wish to add to their membership; I am not disputing that. What I do dispute, though, is the genuineness of the organization in its current state. How can you promote yourself as an organization that takes pride in an oath and a law when you can't live those to the fullest extent?
This world is changing and BSA is refusing to acknowledge that. But rather than turn my medal in and renounce any affiliation with the organization, I will continue to stand by and be an active promoter of Boy Scouts. I will encourage any young man, gay or straight, to participate and get whatever they can out of it. I will push for changes on the national level.
But most of all, I will live the Oath and Law in my everyday life. I won't pretend to live them the way that the national organization does; rather, I will accept everyone and help everyone. I won't discriminate based on sexual orientation. I have two friends (that I know of) that are both an Eagle Scout and gay. They are both great people because they went through the Boy Scout program. Would they be able to do that now? No. And that's not right.
So I will, in the national organizations words, continue "To help other people at all times."
Nice piece. I've been conflicted over this issue myself. While I cannot claim to have reached the distinguished level of Eagle Scout (I was only a Boy Scout for one year), I look back very fondly on my years as a Cub Scout. That said, the recent decision by BSA to reaffirm their decision not to grant membership to "avowed homosexuals" is intolerable. The policy must change. If it does not, then BSA risks being defined by this policy. And that would be lamentable, since there are those of us who know that BSA can be better.
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