NBR: Discussion

rachael_c26 · February 2013

I figure it's been a while since we had a good ol' discussion, especially one that wasn't baby or pregnancy related, soooo...

Boy Scouts of America.

Should homosexual boys and leaders be allowed in the organization?

rachael_c26 · February 2013

I think they most certainly should. Anything less is discrimination led by misplaced fear.

Per homosexual leaders: Homosexual =/= Pedophile

People that are worried about leaders preying on these little boys should be rallying around other groups too. Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, teachers, coaches, etc etc. Preying can happen anywhere. And it does. And you know what, it happens by pedophiles that are "straight". Some pedophiles like boys, some girls, some either.

Again, Homosexual =/= Pedophile

^^^^^ All this up here just makes me mad. I know there have been unfortunate cases where leaders were inappropriate, but we can say that about any other organization.

Per homosexual boy scouts: BSA is a great place for little boys to learn many valuable lessons and skills, and respect. To deny a boy this privilege simply because he has an attraction to the same sex just seems so messed up to me.

And who made these people so cocky as to think the gay boy scout even wants anything to do "romantically" (for lack of a better word) with their peers? Are straight people frequently attracted to gay people? No. Same thing with gays. Most gays I've known couldn't give two shitts about a straight person.

Jenner37 · February 2013

Yes. They have been in the organization forever, many in the closet and now that they are being true to who they are we are not sure it should be allowed. nonsense. It's crazy that this is even being questioned (not by you Rachael but by society)

StephRN23 · February 2013

Absolutely. The thought behind the ban is ignorant. As PP said, homosexual does not mean pedophile. Just look at the church. Homosexuality is not okay, yet, these heads of church are molesting little boys.

credcat7 · February 2013

I think that YES it should be allowed and I bet if you ask KIDS they would say the same because KIDS have much less prejudice than adults....

Scouting is a place where kids can learn about life.... all the fear and confusion about homosexuality should be dealt with at HOME. Its the responsibility of PARENTS to educate and teach their kids about tolerance, acceptance and the general ability to be kind to everyone....and therefore it shouldn't be an issue if johnny joins scouts....

SheilaE · February 2013

credcat7:
I think that YES it should be allowed and I bet if you ask KIDS they would say the same because KIDS have much less prejudice than adults....Scoutingnbsp; is a place where kids can learn about life.... all the fear and confusion about homosexuality should be dealt with at HOME.nbsp; Its the responsibility of PARENTS to educate and teach their kids about tolerance, acceptance and the general ability to be kind to everyone....and therefore it shouldn't be an issue if johnny joins scouts....

It is dealt with at home, and in some homes that is where the fear, hate, dislike, disgust comes from. I teach dance in small rural community in the South, and the fear and disgust these very nice children have comes from their homes, churches, and community. It's not acceptable to be Gay or Lesbian. So to say that the parents should be the ones teaching tolerance is wrong. Every role model that a child has should be teaching tolerance and acceptance. Family, friends, teachers, etc. I do believe it takes a village to raise a child. So while their parents may say one thing about being homosexual, I tell them those people are still good people and they don't have a choice in who they like. So if I'm the only person in their life that speaks of tolerance about being homosexual, hopefully they'll remember what I said when they come across someone who is gay. Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world where all parents teach tolerance and acceptance.

But yes, I believe that the Boy Scouts should allow them.

ZoeMay06 · February 2013

Absolutely yes, without a doubt. It boggles my mind that we are even still having this discussion. Even so, like a PP said, I don't know that I'd allow my son to be in the BSA because of this issue and others.

Gargita · February 2013

ZoeMay06:
Absolutely yes, without a doubt. It boggles my mind that we are even still having this discussion. Even so, like a PP said, I don't know that I'd allow my son to be in the BSA because of this issue and others.

What she said! I can't believe it's 2013 and we're still having to talk about this.

ETA: I mean talk about this as a society, not a BMB.

Sprite2012 · February 2013

Um, yes. And I can't believe this is a major national discussion in 2013. So sad, and so wildly embarrassing. Regardless of what they "decide", my child will NOT be affiliated with such an a$$-backward organization.

angielayne926 · February 2013

Yes, they should be allowed in the organization. Like PP's have said, I can't believe that this is even as big of an issue as it is.

NinaMarie1 · February 2013

What's even more ridiculous is that our military has finally dropped the "Don't ask, Don't tell" and the stupid BSA are still trying to uphold this ancient rule? It's Silly.

persephonerose · February 2013

I think they should allow homosexuals into the BSA, it should be a choice made out of awareness and acceptance. It would be nice if an organization that mentors young boys was able to set a better example. However as a private organization, I do not think that BSA should be forced to allow homosexuals.

weebos8 · February 2013

Absolutely. It's crazy to me this is even an issue now.

katielynn01 · February 2013

kiraliz2:
Sprite2012:
Um, yes. And I can't believe this is a major national discussion in 2013. So sad, and so wildly embarrassing. Regardless of what they "decide", my child will NOT be affiliated with such an a$$-backward organization.
All of this. My son will not be a boy scout. I sincerely hope they decide to reverse their policy.
They also exclude agnostics and atheists. This is another reason we will stay far away from the BSA.

Yep, this. I didn't like the BSA anyway, but now I dislike them even more.

JulieN0704 · February 2013

Both of my brothers were in Boy Scouts (one for a much longer time than the other) and my dad was his leader. He made so many awesome friends, and our entire family became friends with several of the other families and would vacation together, camp together outside of scout events, etc. At least one of the guys in his troop 'grew up to be gay.' I say it that way because everyoneeeee thought he had the biggest crush on me for years (excluding both myself and obviously, him!) and tormented him over it. When he came out years after being a scout (an Eagle scout, no less), some people were surprised but it did not change anything. I realize that in an obscenely large part of the country, this information matters. But here, where I live, it does not. Perhaps if boys had known when they were younger, they may have been hesitant to share tents with him and whatnot, but where does that irrational fear come from? Parents, and lack of education on the subject. I think it could have been a wonderful learning opportunity about tolerance and equality had this come up while he was in the scouts.

That said, I have to wonder how he feels about all of this. We are not in touch anymore all these years later, but I do wonder if he would allow his own (imaginary) son to join the scouts knowing how they feel about his sexuality. I don't think he ever felt pressure to 'act straight' and truth be told, I don't even know how old he was when he knew he was gay to know if he felt any pressure during his time in BSA.

But getting back to answering your question, I say YES. There should be no exclusions in the Boy Scouts. I teach boys at my dance studio- does that mean that I am attracted to them just because I'm straight? Absolutely not. A homosexual man is not instantly attracted to every male he encounters, just as heterosexuals are not attracted to everyone of the opposite sex. That idea is completely ignorant and ridiculous.

As wonderful of an experience as my family had in the scouts, I do not think that we would allow C to be a part of this organization at this point.

katigox · February 2013

It's 2013 and gay rights is a civil rights issue in my mind ~ so I can't believe that it took us this long to let soldiers be open in the military, much less that it's somehow "okay" in certain people's minds to allow (or not allow) "certain people" in an organization.

But there where still gay soldiers before it was "okay" to be, and there certainly are gay boy scouts - and my DH was a boy scout, and it's something he'd like to do with DS, so I'm okay with them going together. I don't think it'll turn our son anti-gay, unless he really feels it's so horrible (which I don't see how, since that won't be something we'd encourage, much less allow in our house). DS will sadly come across many people who will be anti-gay and it's up to him to stand up (or not) for basic civil rights. All I can do is ensure both DH and I are around him in his formative years to nourish and encourage acceptance and love.

However, I wouldn't want my DS to be left alone with any adults (regardless of the organization), so no overnight camp visits, unless my DH was there - and if I thought intolerance was being taught over the original ideals, goals, etc., I would pull him out of there.

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