GLAAD Pushes Boy Scouts to Now Lift Ban on Openly Gay Leaders, Volunteers

Christian Post ^ | 05/27/2013 | By Melissa Barnhart

[SeekAndFind]

Members of GLAAD, a nonprofit organization that promotes LGBT advocacy, was at the Boy Scouts of America's headquarters in Irving, Texas, on Friday – one day after the BSA's national council voted to allow openly gay membership – to advocate for additional policy changes acceptable to the gay community.

Former scouts Dave and Joe McGrath, a father and son duo who both earned the rank of Eagle Scout, biked 1,400 miles from Idaho Falls, Idaho, to the BSA's meeting in Grapevine to encourage the 1,400 voting delegates of the BSA's national council to vote in favor of the resolution to allow openly gay scouts, which passed by a vote of 61 to 39 percent. The ban on openly gay adult leaders is still in place.

On Friday, GLAAD documented Dave McGrath's entry into BSA headquarters to meet with staff and to deliver the LGBT community's 95 objections to their policies. Among these objections is the BSA's standing policy that bans adults who are openly gay from becoming scout leaders and volunteers.

Both factions of the scouting community – the LGBT scouts and traditional scouts – agree that the BSA's policies are now in conflict, because it accepts openly gay membership of students, but when they turn 18, they would then be ineligible to participate as scout leaders.

Many say the BSA's only option is to ask the national council delegates to vote on additional policy changes, possibly as soon as next year, to allow openly gay adults to become scout leaders and volunteers.

During Thursday's press conference outside the BSA's convention at the Gaylord Texan, Tico Perez, BSA national commissioner, refused to answer questions about lifting the ban on openly gay adults.

The policy change for openly gay youth will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2014, and will impact 116,000 scouting units, according to the BSA.

In a statement released Thursday evening, the BSA reiterated its support for the LGBT community by stating they wouldn't allow the organization to be "consumed by a single, divisive and unresolved societal issue."

"As the National Executive Committee just completed a lengthy review process, there are no plans for further review on this matter," the statement reads. "While people have different opinions about this policy, we can all agree that kids are better off when they are in Scouting."

Justin Bickford, communications director for Scouts for Equality, told CP on Thursday that their next mission is to push for openly gay leadership in the BSA. Many traditional scout leaders contend that gay adults are already serving as scout leaders and are doing so with discretion. Their disagreement is with the perceived sexual advocacy among the few LGBT leaders who were asked to leave the BSA for promoting their agenda.

John Stemberger, the founder of OnMyHonor, a coalition of scout leaders and parents of Boy Scouts members, consistently reiterated that gay scouts and gay scout leaders were actively participating in the BSA before Thursday's vote, and said there was never a ban on homosexuals in the scouts. According to Stemberger, "the BSA has a nondiscrimination policy," and the ban was on "gay activism" and "flaunting sexuality."

"With great sorrow, this will be last time I wear this uniform," Stemberger, whose coalition opposed membership changes, announced Thursday evening during the OnMyHonor press conference. He said his role will be to facilitate the process of deciding where the newly displaced scouting community will go, after being exiled from the BSA.

Stemberger said his movement includes "tens of thousands of parents, scouts that are disillusioned, troops that are going to fold and chartering partners."

On his website, OnMyHonor.Net, Stemberger has announced a June coalition meeting in Louisville, Ky., to "discuss the creation of a new character development organization for boys. We will host a national coalition meeting of former BSA parents and youth leaders who wish to return to timeless values that once made the BSA great."

Elizabeth Pritchard, the pack committee chair for Pack 928 in Southlake, Texas, told CP that she's been calling the American Heritage Girls to ask if they plan to start a program for boys. One program that has been announced is FaithBasedBoys.org, a newly created interdenominational organization for boys 5 to 18, that is scheduled to launch in the fall, and will receive guidance from American Heritage Girls.

Others who are departing the BSA en masse are waiting to see if the Royal Ambassadors, a Southern Baptist missions organization for boys in first through sixth grades, will be expanding their program to include the estimated 200,000 to 400,000 scouts who will be leaving the BSA.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Familiar with the bible any? He is my strength? By my God I can scale a wall? Etc? Lay yourself on the Lord in truth instead of in some self flattering feigned salute, and you WILL get infused with His spirit.

[MacNaughton]

Maybe I'm just being too linear in my thinking. My thoughts are that ...

1. They have to re-print the new membership registration forms.

2. Edit the Guide to Safe Scouting.

Of course, so much of this stuff is digital these days and available on council web-sites.

3. Do you suppose there are some liability insurance contracts that have to be re-negotiated?

4. To paraphrase Distinguished Eagle Scout and former SoS Donald Rumsfeld, "There must be some other known unknowns."

[tenger]

I completely agree with that assessment. I was merely pointing out on the other side of that issue, the one attempting to help lead but realizing that there are people who hold a dim view of those in positions of leadership with no kids in the troop or no kids at all. It’s a very different BSA than I knew.

[Agamemnon]

Familiar with the bible any?

Can you cite chapter and verse which says that Jesus is anyone's "chops"?

He is my strength? By my God I can scale a wall? Etc?

If I recall correctly you said "Well my chops are Jesus Christ," not "He is my strength," not "By my God I can scale a wall," or "Etc."

Lay yourself on the Lord in truth instead of in some self flattering feigned salute, and you WILL get infused with His spirit.

Look me up sometime when you actually become more familiar with what the Bible says, and can bring yourself to quote your own postings accurately.

By the way, the discussion you joined was about gay infiltration of the Boy Scouts, and some newbie trying to blame Eagle Scouts for it. Might want to try harder to stay on topic.

[Seeing More Clearly Now]

Noli requiescere in pace, Boy Scouts. Your leadership in now knowingly guilty of child abuse.

[Ransomed]

“Courts and legislatures are ram jamming this stuff yet only two states: MD and WA actually put gay marriage out to a vote where the populace voted to approve state sanctioned abomination...”

The trend isn’t good, in my opinion. Maine also voted in ‘gay marriage’, as well as Minnesota rejecting a pro-marriage amendment. CA’s Prop. 22 passed by 61% in 2000 and Prop. 8 only passed by 52% in 2008, that’s losing 9% in 8 years. NC voted in theirs by 61% last year, basically tying the CA of 12 years before, something that would have made folks call you nuts if you would have told them that in 2000. All the states around NC passed their amendments by 75%+ except VA (57% in 2006) at least 6 years ago.

As far as the boy scouts, to my understanding it was 61% -39% from 1400 ‘boy scout leaders.’ I would love to know what region of the country has the highest % of delegates. In any case, it is the boys scouts, not a good sign in my opinion.

FReegards