Boy Suts change policy on gay lears | CNN

Contents:

• THE BOY SUTS AND THEIR POLICY AGAST GAY LEARS
• BOY SUTS RENFIRM POLICY: NO GAYS ALLOWED
• BOY SUTS: WE'RE KEEPG POLICY BANNG GAYS
• THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA ANTI-GAY POLICY
• THE EAGLE SUTS’ AND BOY SUTS OF AMERI’S ANTI-GAY POLICY
• REJECT THE BOY SUTS OF AMERI'S ANTI-GAY POLICY ON ADULTSREJECT THE BOY SUTS OF AMERI'S ANTI-GAY POLICY ON ADULTS
• BOY SUTS: OUR 'ANTI-GAY' POLICY STANDS
• WILL THE BOY SUTS REVERSE ITS ANTI-GAY POLICY?
• THE BOY SUTS: STILL ANTI-GAY AND SENDG A DANGERO MSAGE TO YOUTH
• GAY BOY SUTS? WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR BOYS?
• OPN WHY DID I CHALLENGE THE BOY SUTS’ ANTI-GAY POLICY? BEE I AM A LOYAL SUT.
• BOY SUTS BATTLE ON ANTI-GAY POLICY: LEVI'S, THE NIM FIRM, HAS WHDRAWN S SPONSORSHIP OVER THE MOVEMENT'S REFAL TO ACCEPT HOMOSEXUALS, WR DAVID USBORNE WASHGTON
• BOY SUTS CHANGE POLICY ON GAY LEARS
• CAN A GAY BOY SUT SHARE A TENT WH ANOTHER BOY? BOY SUTS SURVEY MEMBERS ON ANTI-GAY POLICY
• TIMELE: THE BOY SUTS’ LONG HISTORY OF ANTI-GAY DISCRIMATN
• EAGLE SUT CHALLENG BOY SUTS' ANTI-GAY POLICY WH PETN
• BOY SUTS RENSIRG ANTI-GAY POLICY

THE BOY SUTS AND THEIR POLICY AGAST GAY LEARS

Bob Cadwallar is sutmaster of Troop 822 suburban CADWALLADER, Troop 822 Sutmaster: To me, personally, homosexualy is not natural, and I do not want tght or prented to my children as natural. For New York Cy's Troop 729, the Boy Suts' posn on homosexualy has created an agonizg nflict between their valu and their loyalty to the HANSEN NELSON, Troop 729, Assistant Sutmaster: Inially, I wanted out; I wanted to rign prott, you know. Officials at the natnal headquarters of the Boy Suts of Ameri cled to ment about fundraisg or their posn on homosexuals, but they have posted their ratnale for the policy on their Web se: "An avowed homosexual is not a role mol for the tradnal moral valu poed the Sut Oath and Law and homosexual nduct is nsistent wh the valu we wish to still.

They were very trated wh the fact that so much of what Boy Suts stands for was kd of phed out of the way bee of, you know, a uple of people thk that homosexualy is a s. What changed is the more open, nontatnal challenge that was prented to the Boy Suts after 1970, the rise of the homosexual rights movement, the rise of the more radil separatn of church and state movement.

BOY SUTS RENFIRM POLICY: NO GAYS ALLOWED

Inherently attached to this issue is a very strong array of fears and anxieti, many of which may even be fairly unrstandable bee they rive om a perd when there were wily held beliefs about homosexualy that we now no longer subscribe to. Followg a two-year closed-door review, the Boy Suts of Ameri (BSA) has announced that will ntue wh s policy of excludg practicg homosexuals om membership and learship posns wh s ranks.

BOY SUTS: WE'RE KEEPG POLICY BANNG GAYS

While the BSA has long been a target of homosexual activists termed to force the anizatn to accept “gay” lears, the issue me to a head May when Boy Sut officials removed Jennifer Tyrrell as the lear of a Cub Sut troop Bridgeport, Oh when they disvered that she was a lbian. In an attempt to force the BSA to restate her, Tyrell lnched a petn drive on that has garnered some 300, 000 signatur om dividuals who want to see the group allow “gay” lears. The BSA lnched the review of s policy on homosexuals 2010, nveng a special mtee, which said clud a diversy of perspectiv and opns, to terme whether or not to ntue the policy.

Randall Stephenson is prently favored to take the reigns of the BSA executive board 2014, and will no doubt face heavy lobbyg om homosexual activists to change the group’s policy at that time. In a statement on the BSA’s cisn to ntue to bar homosexuals, AT&T said: “We don’t agree wh every policy of every anizatn we support, nor would we expect them to agree wh on everythg.

THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA ANTI-GAY POLICY

“Wh the untry movg toward cln, the lears of the Boy Suts of Ameri have stead sent a msage to young people that only some of them are valued, ” said Chad Griff of the Human Rights Campaign, the natn’s premier homosexual activist group. Siarly, Darlene Nipper of the Natnal Gay and Lbian Task Force acced the Boy Suts of turng “their backs on a chance to monstrate fairns, exercise sound judgment, and serve as a role mol for valug others. In the “Gay Voic” sectn of the Huffgton Post, lumnist Michelangelo Signorile acced the Boy Suts of sendg the “dangero msage” that “gay kids don’t measure up” to the Suts’ standards.

The BSA policy is “vastatg and dangero, ” sisted Signorile, “bee at a time when we’ve seen latg reports of young people … takg their own liv, suicis by gay kids often victimized and btalized by bulli. “Any parents good nsc [sic] mt realize what they are a party to by enrollg their kids an anizatn whose polici would help drive the hostily and vlence that gay kids experience every day this untry. Supporters of the BSA pot out that the proscriptn agast homosexuals the anizatn, which exists to build solid character and tegry young men, is extribly tied to the official Boy Sut Oath, which requir that the nduct of the group’s members — as well as s lears — rema “morally straight.

A special mtee of Sut executiv and adult volunteers formed 2010 nclud unanimoly that the anti-gay policy was the "absolute bt" for the 112-year-old anizatn, natnal spokman Deron Smh, told The Associated said reprented "a diversy of perspectiv and opns, " but did not name the members of that mtee.

THE EAGLE SUTS’ AND BOY SUTS OF AMERI’S ANTI-GAY POLICY

"I believe the vast majory of Sut fai do not support their policy on excludg gays, and if that is the se, they picked an awfully tertg way of affirmg that their report, " Wahls said. Supreme Court sid wh the Boy Suts of Ameri, lg 5-4 that the anizatn was exempt om state laws that bar anti-gay urt overturned a lg by the New Jersey Supreme Court to require a troop to readm a longtime gay sutmaster who had been Girl Suts of Ameri has had a diversy policy and non-discrimatn clse sce Print Herndon Graddick exprsed dismay over the cisn.

Ary allowg gay Amerins to participate, the Boy Suts of Ameri need to fd a way to treat all children and their parents fairly, " said Graddick a prepared statement. The Boy Suts of Ameri will keep their ntroversial policy banng gay suts and lears after a nfintial two-year review, the anizatn said announcement amid a stepped-up mpaign om activist groups urgg an end to the membership standards.

REJECT THE BOY SUTS OF AMERI'S ANTI-GAY POLICY ON ADULTSREJECT THE BOY SUTS OF AMERI'S ANTI-GAY POLICY ON ADULTS

Boy Suts review ntroversial anti-gay policy Eagle Sut son of lbian moms: Boys Suts mt end gay discrimatn Gay mom upset after dismissal by Boy Suts Boy Suts board member oppos anti-gay policy The Boy Suts’ policy beme a foc of the U. Supreme Court 2000, when the jtic sid wh the anizatn a lawsu volvg a former assistant Sutmaster who was gay, cg the protectns of the First Wahls, an Eagle Sut who is the son of a lbian uple, has recently mpaigned for changg the policy, along wh Jennifer Tyrrell, who was oted om her post as a Tiger Cubs’ n lear April bee she is a lbian.

I've said this before and I'll say aga: this will be the official BSA policy up until the day fally ends, " he said an email to "Regardls of your thoughts on homosexualy, surely we n agree that gay people who serve our troops and muni serve our rpect and gratu. (om The Advote) After more than a century of kickg people out for the "crime" of beg gay, the Boy Suts of Ameri's natnal executive mtee voted unanimoly this week...

The Boy Suts of Ameri rema entrenched a heated natnal bate over their ntued excln of lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) adults om membership and servg learship rol the anizatn. But church-n uns are still able to turn down gays applyg for learship rol if vlat their beliefs, a provisn that DaShanne Stok, an Eagle Sut, thor and civil rights activist who liv Ptsburgh, says won't change much the long hl.

BOY SUTS: OUR 'ANTI-GAY' POLICY STANDS

Opponents and proponents of the change argue that, as Eagle Sut and gay rights activist Dashanne Stok wrote last week The Advote, the "new policy is a PR-savvy half-measure. I would rather my son be gay than be an Eagle antigay polici of the Boy Suts of Ameri have forced me to turn my back on an anizatn that, along wh my parents, I cred for helpg me be a good son, a good hband, a good employee, and a good month, durg sprg cleang, I found a battered briefse ntag the rerds for Troop 500 San Anton.

Направлено:Wayne Brock (CEO, Boy Suts of Ameri) и Эта петиция собрала 137 452 подписантаПочему эта петиция важнаWe, the Sutg muny of Converse, TX urge Troop 512 and the Alamo Area Council to reject the Boy Suts of Ameri's anti-gay policy on adults. We were enuraged by the Boy Suts' vote to end the ban on gay youth, but 's ridiculo to kick out some of the Boy Suts' most active and loyal adult members, jt bee they're gay.

WILL THE BOY SUTS REVERSE ITS ANTI-GAY POLICY?

The Boy Suts of Ameri announced Tuday that will ntue to enforce s policy of barrg gay suts and lears after a nfintial two-year anizatn me to the ncln after quietly formed an 11-person mtee, prised of sut executiv and adult volunteers, 2010 to evaluate the 102-year-old policy, Boy Suts' natnal spokman, Deron Smh, told the said that the group unanimoly agreed "that this policy is absolutely the bt policy for the Boy Suts.

THE BOY SUTS: STILL ANTI-GAY AND SENDG A DANGERO MSAGE TO YOUTH

Supreme Court upheld the ntroversial policy 2000, lg 5-4 that the Boy Suts was exempt om state laws that prohib anti-gay said that the membership policy is not tend to be "a blanket statement or social mentary. The anizatn’s policy, reerated, is: “While the BSA do not proactively quire about the sexual orientatn of employe, volunteers, or members, we do not grant membership to dividuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage behavr that would bee a distractn to the missn of the BSA. For 102 years, the Boys Suts of Ameri has exclud boys and adult volunteers who intify as gay wh such unapologetic nvictn that one has to wonr if there’s a badge for that.

The anizatn’s excln of gays and lbians has ma headl for years, most notably 2000 when the Supreme Court led that, as a private anizatn, the Boy Suts uld legally do so. The lg ced a 1991 BSA posn statement that characterized homosexualy as “nsistent” wh the group’s requirements “that a Sut be morally straight” and “clean word and ed.

GAY BOY SUTS? WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR BOYS?

The latt cisn by the Boy Suts of Ameri, proposg to end s ban on gay suts but not s ban on gay and lbian sutmasters and n mothers, is at once ridiculo and blatantly anti-gay. And how n a boy who out as gay, or is simply known to be gay bee of his other associatns and iendships, feel that he is not stigmatized by the BSA when the anizatn is still discrimatg agast gay adults?

That the BSA ed s recent survey of members as a ver, claimg that a majory of s members wanted this way, only heightens the ugls of the I wrote last July, when the BSA cid to keep the ban on both gay suts and gay sutmasters, still holds: The BSA is sendg a dangero msage to young people across Ameri, tellg them to keep gays away bee they are not like the rt of Boy Suts had a chance, aga, to reem self, but has blown big-time.

OPN WHY DID I CHALLENGE THE BOY SUTS’ ANTI-GAY POLICY? BEE I AM A LOYAL SUT.

“The grounds for this membership revotn are the standards for learship tablished by the Boy Suts of Ameri, ” the letter read, “which specifilly forbid membership to homosexuals. Yet, was precisely the sense of learship, rpect, equaly and muny that the Suts had stilled me that would not allow me to accept this jtice, done not jt to me but to untls other young gay people who had found a home the Boy Suts of Ameri. Everyone is a sexual beg, after sexual issu are not brought up the Sutg environment — and my experience, they never were, until an outsi party publicized my homosexualy — that’s all the more reason that should not matter if some members happen to be gay.

Wh each passg day, the Suts will ntue to lose members, sponsors and fundg bee people are disassociatg themselv om an anizatn that tells a boy he is immoral, unworthy or unacceptable simply bee his is gay. Some troops would still be ee to discrimate, and when troops wh different polici me together — whether at summer mps or jambore — the more clive on would face all at an unacceptable human st; this kd of bias is the reason for high rat of prsn, substance abe and suici among gay youth. The two are locked bat over policy towards homosexuals a battle that is spawng a cha reactn of boytts and unter-boytts and threateng the Suts' issue is the 'Three Gs' prciple that has guid the Suts' membership policy sce s foundg Ameri more than 80 years ago on the mol of Lord Ban-Powell's sutg movement Bra.

BOY SUTS BATTLE ON ANTI-GAY POLICY: LEVI'S, THE NIM FIRM, HAS WHDRAWN S SPONSORSHIP OVER THE MOVEMENT'S REFAL TO ACCEPT HOMOSEXUALS, WR DAVID USBORNE WASHGTON

That is to say everyone is wele, provid they are not gay, godls or a Suts pend on private donatns and this year some of their benefactors, Levi's among them, have begun to qutn whether they n support an anisatn that formally exclus both homosexuals and atheists.

Wh many homosexual employe workg s headquarters, the pany seems unlikely to activists, meanwhile, have not been shy potg to recent bgraphil evince that Lord Ban-Powell was himself a reprsed homosexual, notably documented the recently published work, The Boy-Man, about Ban-Powell by the Brish bgrapher, Tim Congrs, a Republin, Dana Rohrabacher, vowed last week to enurage a 'grassroots' unter-boytt of Levi Strss and Wells Fargo fence of the Suts. “On Monday July 27 the natnal executive board ratified a rolutn removg the natnal rtrictn on openly gay lears and employe, ” Boy Suts of Ameri Print Robert Gat said a vio statement on Monday. “Today’s vote by the Boy Suts of Ameri to allow gay, lbian and bisexual adults to work and volunteer is a wele step toward erasg a sta on this important anizatn, ” said Human Rrights Campaign Print Chad Griff a statement.

BOY SUTS CHANGE POLICY ON GAY LEARS

However, former Boy Sut learship team member Jon Langbert told CNN’s Carol Costello he believ the new policy isn’t a cure-all, sce lol troops will still be allowed to make the cisn on whether to allow gay lears. ” The are some of the qutns on a survey beg nducted by the Boy Suts of Ameri as the private youth anizatn prepar to ci whether should end s ntroversial policy banng gay Suts and lears.

But this time, the BSA ed the survey to add qutns about the policy banng gays (those qutns went only to adults) spokman Deron Smh, who provid the qutns on the survey to NBC News, said an email that “the BSA is mted to dialogue on the topic of s membership standards policy, wh the Sutg fay at the lol and natnal levels. The Boy Suts’ policy has creasgly been a sore spot for the anizatn over the last year, followg the dismissal of a n lear bee she is a lbian and the nial of the Eagle Sut rank to a California teen bee he is gay.

Tristam HarrgtonWhen the BSA announced late January that may dch the natnal policy and stead let lol sponsorg anizatns ci if gays n jo, the anizatn received a flood of rpons om both sis. The Boy Suts have asked for the surveys to be returned by April BSA also asked if the currently policy was a “re value” of Sutg and if rponnts would leave the BSA if a cisn was ma that disagreed wh their qutns on the survey clu:A gay male troop lear, along wh another adult lear, is takg a group of boys on a mpg trip followg the youth protectn guil of two-ep learship. Related stori: Boy Suts: We need more time for cisn on gay SutsAfter years of heartache, gay Suts and supporters react warily over proposal to lift ban'Gravely distrsed': Relign looms large over Boy Suts cisn on gays 'BATTLESTATIONS!

CAN A GAY BOY SUT SHARE A TENT WH ANOTHER BOY? BOY SUTS SURVEY MEMBERS ON ANTI-GAY POLICY

Most recently, the summer of 2012, the group - one of the untry's largt youth anizatns - voted to reaffirm s current policy of excludg openly gay dividuals om membership. While acceptance and support for the rights of gays and lbians the Uned Stat has steadily grown over the past few s, some dividuals and anizatns have neverthels been slow to adapt their views to a changg society. While the BSA do not proactively quire about the sexual orientatn of employe, volunteers, or members, we do not grant membership to dividuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage behavr that would bee a distractn to the missn of the BSA.

"The Boy Suts of Ameri is one of the last cultural stutns to have discrimatn as part of their policy, " said Richard Ferraro, vice print for munitns wh the Gay and Lbian Alliance Agast Defamatn, notg that the Girl Suts, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the 4-H Clubs and now even the ary forbid discrimatn based on sexual orientatn.

TIMELE: THE BOY SUTS’ LONG HISTORY OF ANTI-GAY DISCRIMATN

In a more recent cint that has drawn wispread attentn, an openly gay 17-year-old Boy Sut named Ryan Andren om California was nied the rank of Eagle Sut - the anizatn's hight honor - bee of his sexualy. In July 2012, after what the anizatn scribed as a "wi-rangg ternal review" that took two years, the BSA reached a "unanimo nsens" favor of keepg the current policy on homosexualy.

EAGLE SUT CHALLENG BOY SUTS' ANTI-GAY POLICY WH PETN

In our first public mpaign, we are vg current and former members of the sutg muny to share their stori about how the BSA's discrimatory policy regardg homosexual suts and sut lears has affected them orr to asss support for changg this policy om wh the sutg muny.

On Wednday, the natnal board of the Boy Suts of Ameri layed s cisn on whether to end the anizatn’s natnal ban on gay Suts and sutmasters until May, cg the need for more liberatn. BSA’s gay ban has ed several of s major sponsors to pull fundg recent years, and the anizatn announced on January 28 that would nsir endg the policy; the board has been liberatg the cisn sce Monday.

Even if the Boy Suts ci later this year to overturn the ban, the cisn on whether to allow gay members will be left to lol troops—a move that gay advot say is a p-out, as lol troops would still be allowed to discrimate. May 30, 2012 — -- Eagle Sut Zach Wahls challenged the Boy Suts of Ameri's anti-gay policy today when he livered three box of petns mandg change, signed by more than 275, 000, 20, prented the petns durg the Boy Suts' Natnal Annual Meetg Kissimmee, Fla., on behalf of Jennifer Tyrrell, an Oh mom who was removed as the n lear of her 7-year-old son's Cub Sut troop April bee of her sexual orientatn.

BOY SUTS RENSIRG ANTI-GAY POLICY

The Boy Suts are the parent anizatn of the Cub is the thor of "My Two Moms" and a vio of his three-mute speech before Iowa legislators urgg them not to pass a nstutnal amendment that would ban gay marriage and civil unns went viral Febary petn lled for Tyrrell's restatement and a change policy for the anizatn. The Boy Suts of Ameri may soon give sponsors of troops the thory to ci whether to accept gays as suts and lears - a potentially dramatic retreat om a natnwi no-gays policy that has provoked relentls the change now beg discsed, the different relig and civic groups that sponsor Sut uns would be able to ci for themselv how to addrs the issue — eher matag an excln of gays, as is now required of all uns, or openg up their activists were elated at the prospect of change, sensg another tone to go along wh recent advanc for same-sex marriage and the end of the ban on gays servg openly the ary.

However, Southern Baptist lears — who nsir homosexualy a s — were fur about the possible change and said s approval might enurage Southern Baptist church to support other boys' anizatns stead of the 's announcement of the possible change after years of protts over the no-gays policy — cludg petn mpaigns that have prompted some rporatns to spend donatns to the Boy the proposed change, said BSA spokman Deron Smh, "the Boy Suts would not, unr any circumstanc, dictate a posn to uns, members, or parents. And dg-manufacturer Merck announced that they were haltg donatns om their charable foundatns to the Boy Suts as long as the no-gays policy was , lol Sut officials drew wispread cricism recent months for otg Jennifer Tyrrell, a lbian mom, as a n lear of her son's Cub Sut pack Oh and for refg to approve an Eagle Sutapplitn by Ryan Andren, a California teen who me out as gay last fall.

"The Boy Suts of Ameri have heard om suts, rporatns and lns of Amerins that discrimatg agast gay suts and sut lears is wrong, " said Herndon Graddick, GLAAD's print. "The Suts had reaffirmed the no-gays policy as recently as last year, and appeared to have strong backg om nservative relig nomatns — notably the Mormons, Roman Catholics and Southern Baptists — which sponsor large numbers of Sut uns.