Health & Fitness
A Complex Issue: Gays in the Boy Scouts - New Information Emerges
Our emotional reaction often clouds our ability to assess situations. My opinion evolved while writing this post. Today I look at some of the issues and ask the question... not if, but how.
I believe that gay leaders should be permitted to lead in scouting. I believe that gay boys should be accommodated in scouting. I believe that gay boys should not have to hide who they are. Still, I believe that discussions of sexuality do not belong in the scout meeting. I believe there are units that already exist which accommodate gay youth and adults. I believe that the position of many churches on gays is rooted in the past, and will ultimately change. I believe that particular change will be hard. Very hard.
Making the decision to write this was hard. No one wants to invite controversy. I have gay friends. I am an avid scout volunteer. This lets me see both sides of this very difficult situation. My thoughts expressed on first writing are very different from the thoughts expressed here today. Today I have some new information that makes me hopeful.
What is Scouting
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Scouting implements motivational and character building systems for youth (boys and girls over a certain age). It encourages the seeking of knowledge through the acquisition of merit badges. It encourages learning: Outdoor skills such as camping, whittling, building shelters, using an axe, indoor skills such as sewing and cooking, science learning skills such as robotics and engineering.
More than this, though, scouting tries to build character. Boys are required to recite the Boy Scout Oath, Law and Motto at every meeting. A key phrase in the Boy Scout Oath is: "do my duty to God and my country". The reason there are so many dedicated volunteers in scouting, is that scouting teaches duty to others, which the participants take to adulthood and give back to scouting a little of what it gave to them.
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Scouting's Volunteers
I am an avid volunteer for the Long Beach Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. I have had many volunteer roles in scouting, at the pack and at the council level. I write about my scouting experiences on the Belmont Shore Patch.
Despite the many hours I give of my time, it's a far, far distance behind a large contingency of men and women who volunteer their every spare moment for scouting. Men and women who take vacation and unpaid leave to help the youth in the scouting program. Men and women who are committed to youth development. I am often amazed at the amount of giving of time and energy that happens, even at this local level.
Boy Scouting vs Girl Scouting
Boy Scouting's organizational structure differs somewhat from Girl Scouting's organizational structure.
It is my understanding that a few parents can start a girl scout unit by contacting their regional Girl Scout office and submitting the proper forms.
In Boy Scouting, however, the units are organized under entities (known as chartering organizations) in the local communities. The entities may be for profit businesses that want to help the youth, but are usually non-profits.
Churches are especially participatory because scouting requires that the youth be brought up with a religious belief system. "Duty to God" requires a religious upbringing, but it does not require a specific God. No specific belief system - Various Christian religions, including Catholic, Mormon, Buddhist, Islam, Jewish scout units all exist.
Some churches go so far as to implement scouting as their official youth program. Here is a page with statistics on types of chartering organizations. If you care to, follow the links on the page. The information may be interesting to you.
Responsibility of a Chartering Organization
By chartering a scout unit, the organization is committing to providing support for the scout unit. It will seek out leaders for the unit. Leaders who are committed to learning about and implementing the scouting program. Leaders who will be responsible for the youth. Leaders who will give so much of their own time and energy to ensure the success of the unit.
It's not easy starting a scout unit.
After the unit is many years old, there will be sufficient momentum to keep it going. Sufficient leaders to care enough to make the program rounded. Enough boys coming in to ensure its survival. It becomes an asset to the chartering organization. But it must survive these first years.
Scout Policy on Gays in Scouting
It is my understanding that the policy is one of non-discussion. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Why this policy?
It's extremely complicated. Here's my guess.
Scouting's strong relationship with churches is reflected in the Boy Scout Oath and Law. Some elements of the Scout Law have been quoted as reasons for the policy, specifically "morally straight". It should be noted that different churches have different policies on the issue, but the acceptance of gays in religious communities is far from universal.
Even if we get beyond this, don't ask don't tell makes the rules easier to make. Other units may operate differently, but in ours the boys do not bring girlfriends or even sisters. The mothers who are there stand respectfully by while the boy scouts run the meeting. The men observe and make panels to evaluate each scout's achievements. The meeting is 100% about scout goals and scout advancements. The scout meeting is not a place to discuss sexuality either with or amongst the youth. That topic is for the scout's parents to handle.
Please don't judge me when I say what follows below.
I'm not trying to say that the boy scouts should not include gay boys or leaders, I just want to point out some additional reasons that might be given as reasons for resistance to change. Change is hard, sometimes a lot of work. Most people naturally resist change.
There are strict rules currently in place for youth protection in scouting. These are designed so as to provide the highest level of confidence to the administrators, leaders and parents.
- Two deep leadership - Regardless of how long the leader has been with the unit, he/she is not permitted to carry on a program or meet with a scout without another leader present. There are even rules for transportation of the scout.
- Who can share a tent with a scout - A Cub Scout can not sleep in a tent with anyone other than his parents or guardians. The older boys can share tents with the others in their group.
- Which bathroom they can use - Boys, girls, men, women must all use different bathrooms. Scout facilities are designed with this in mind.
Including openly gay youth would require the definition of guidelines on how to handle certain situations. I can imagine that doing so would creating a requirement for training of leaders on handling of those situations, some of them including discussions of sexuality with the youth... This is not currently a part of any scout meeting, and many of these volunteer leaders may not be comfortable with dealing with this issue.
Why would this be necessary? To ensure that there was no possibility of misunderstanding between the youth. Boy Scouts will spend a week at a time sharing tents with other youth in the program.
What about the sharing of tents? If a person was not chosen by another youth as a tent mate, we can't force a situation of that sort. If there was to be a rule that an openly gay youth could not share a tent with another youth, would this be considered discriminatory? Many units provide tents for the scouts on a 1 tent for 2 or 3 scouts. Would the unit then go to a one-tent-per-scout situation? That might be cost-prohibitive for less financially able units. The boys are adolescents, as yet inexperienced in handling certain situations. I can imagine an adolescent boy might have an issue sharing a tent with an openly gay boy. It could create conflict where there might not otherwise be any. Also, parents just don't want to introduce their children to situations that might might involve physical attraction of any sort. The youth will find plenty of these situations on their own.
How does this work with 4H, Boys and Girls, Girl Scouts, Campfire USA, I wonder? Do these organizations have these issues?
What about including openly gay men and women as leaders? I'm all for it! The rules are in place for 2 deep leadership. So long as the discussion of sexual orientation remains outside of the meeting room. Acknowledgement of two dads or two moms is all that would be necessary and would be fine by me.
I have often wondered... If the Supreme Court was faced with the same decision today in the BSA vs Dale case, would the result be the same?
How do I feel about the "Don't ask don't tell" policy?
Bear with me while I think about this with you.
Please forgive me when I say "A few of my best friends are gay." I am aware of the confusion that can be caused by social unacceptance. Would I want to be in the position of being considered morally unacceptable? Of course not.
For the youth. It makes it easier to administer a unit if there's no discussion on the issue in scouting. No discussion of shared tent situations or bathrooms need occur.
For the adults. I would not hesitate to bring any one of my friends in front of a group of scouts to present, or to support. I have no issues with any one of them taking a leadership role. Except... Who would put someone in the position of being scrutinized just because any one person decided to 'tell'?
"Don't ask, don't tell" doesn't work. Regardless of how much I might want to... need to... put someone in a leadership role, how could I do that without letting that person know what could happen downline if someone... anyone... decided to 'tell'? How could I let them know that it could be a problem that could cause them much embarrassment without "asking" them? The result? No leadership role for people I think may be gay unless I have this conversation. But I won't have the conversation, because I don't want to scare them away by telling them about this policy. I'm so confused! I might want to put them in the role, but if any one other person can cause them attention, shame, rejection, I won't do it without the conversation... the conversation I'm afraid to have.
So why haven't I said anything before?
Scouting is an amazing program. The infrastructure that it provides can't be found anywhere else. The huge network of parents and supporters with knowledge to share. Just visit one of the local troops on their Rocketry day, go climbing with the climber dad who brings all his gear to Joshua Tree, or join the boys as they gather to travel to camp at Camp Tahquitz, and you'll know how amazing it is. There is so much positive energy as everyone focuses on growing their knowledge base. I might not agree with every policy, but that happens in every organization.
As Ms. Viale pointed out in one of her previous posts, we live in the city of Long Beach. I don't think that any one child would be discriminated against in our units because of sexual orientation. I don't think that the adults in the units close to me would reject any youth for this reason. The adults in the units close to me would not reject any parent who wished to help.
Yes, exclusionary policies bother me. I signed Ms. Tyrell's first petition. I forwarded it to a few friends that I knew would be interested.
So what next, Ms. Tyrrell, Ms. Viale?
As friend and Patch blogger Jacqui Viale brought to our attention, Jennifer Tyrrell has started a new drive, asking units to show their support. I thought I wanted to respond and start a petition for my unit. But after substantial thought, I don't think it's the right approach.
Asking that scouting make a blanket change is asking too much. It would indirectly require the units, many of which are run by religious entities, to go against the doctrine of those entities. (however right or wrong that doctrine might be).
What do I suggest?
Don't try to force a change in existing units. Set an example, instead of trying to force a change. Show how it can... should... be done.
Perhaps a religious entity that is so inclined might petition scouting to start a trial program of its own within scouting. A program that implements a new type of unit, one catering to all boys, but especially sensitive to gays. The intent? Create the ability for gay youth to participate in scouting by building it from within.
It would help if there were one or more large companies that wished to support an experiment of this sort. Why? There would be new situations to understand, policies to write, training to be designed and done. Communications to be made.
It wouldn't be a trivial commitment. That chartering entity would be committing to finding leaders from within its community to learn about scouting. It's hard work, participating as a scout leader. There's training, volunteering hours for planning with a committee, volunteering hours for planning the program for and with the kids. Volunteering hours for executing the program. Weekends and weeks away for camping trips and leader training. Volunteers will come, volunteers will go, it will be hard, hard, hard. But if, perhaps, there is an Eagle Scout dad out there who is gay, he may choose to be a core volunteer. Other parents who care, to volunteer. Community members who care, to volunteer.
Yes, I realize it would still mean that there would be some units that openly gay youth would not be able to join, but until some higher order requires a unilateral acceptance of gays by all religious entities, I don't see that changing today or even tomorrow.
What about existing units that might be accepting of gays... Why not ask one of them to change? I still think it's better to do it separately, establish the procedures, show how it will work and then approach units that wish to adopt the new procedures. Just my two cents.
Now that you know what I know, what do you think?
Ms. Viale suggested that another visit to the Supreme Court might make a difference. Perhaps. Would it be different? Perhaps. Would the result be the same? Perhaps, given the nature of organizations which implement Scouting.
Today's new information.
Today, I received a communication about President Obama and gays. There is one line that interests me:
"The organization had said last month that it would consider a resolution asking that local units be allowed to determine their own standards."
I am hopeful.