The Boy Suts and Their Policy Agast Gay Lears | PBS NewsHour

boy scouts gay controversy

Ray Suarez vtigat the ntroversy surroundg the Boy Suts and their policy agast gay lears.

Contents:

BEHD THE SCEN 2000 WHEN SUPREME COURT LIBERALS THOUGHT NAZI AND DRED STT REFERENC GAY RIGHTS DISSENT WERE DISTRACTG

As he began wrg an angry dissent a gay rights se 23 years ago, Supreme Court Jtice John Pl Stevens was parg the majory’s cisn agast a gay man to Nazi persecutn. * boy scouts gay controversy *

Followg a long-standg ntroversy, the anizatn 2014 lifted their ban on openly gay members, 2015 allowed openly gay adult sut lears for the first time, and 2017 allowed transgenr boys to jo for the first time. Dpe matag their partnership wh the Suts up until the May 2018 announcement, Church lears have recent years greeted succsive BSA announcements about the cln of gay, transgenr and female members wh obv unease and utn. The Mormon Church officially accepts openly gay and lbian dividuals as members and lears, but only if they rema celibate, as the Church's web se not: "Sexual relatns between a man and woman who are not married, or between people of the same sex, vlate one of our Father Heaven’s most important laws and get the way of our eternal progrs.

When the BSA moved to accept gay and transgenr members recent years, the Church obtaed assuranc om the Suts that the Church uld "operate s programs ways that are nsistent wh our standards and beliefs. But the summer of 1990, Dale received a letter rmg him that his membership had been revoked, simply bee he was gay.

THE REAL STORY BEHD THE BOY SUTS' GAY-BAN REVERSAL IS A HUMAN STORY

An explaer on how the group has evolved w/ social issu over the years (ie. allowg gays, gay lears, now transgenr, etc.) * boy scouts gay controversy *

Dpe Dale’s 12-year relatnship wh the Boy Suts, the anizatn severed their ti wh him after learng of a news article that intified him as the -print of his universy’s Lbian/Gay Alliance. In a 5-4 cisn, the Supreme Court narrowly affirmed the Boy Suts right to ny membership to openly gay dividuals.

On July 27, a full 25 years after they revoked Dale’s membership, the anizatn announced would extend membership to openly gay lears. This after the Boy Suts’ move two years ago to lift s ban on membership to gay youth.

THE BOY SUTS AND THEIR POLICY AGAST GAY LEARS

* boy scouts gay controversy *

The cisn was an important step, but bee left the ban place for openly gay lears, was an unsatisfyg one. More troublgly, though, the hatn also perpetuated the historic and homophobic perceptn of gay adults as promiscuo dividuals wh nefar tentns.

The recent cisn to fally end the ban on openly gay lears should, therefore, be celebrated.

Although is now possible for gay lears to serve openly the Boys Suts of Ameri, dog so is still jt that: a possibily, not a guarantee.

BOY SUTS OF AMERI VOT TO ALLOW GAY SUT LEARS

The erng body of the Boy Suts of Ameri voted Monday to end s s-long ban on gay sut lears. * boy scouts gay controversy *

The Boy Suts has lifted s ban on openly gay lears and employe, but has allowed relig chartered anizatns, which operate more than 70 percent of the Boy Suts Sutg uns, “to e relig beliefs as creria for selectg adult lears, cludg matters of sexualy, ” acrdg to their announcement.

The Boy Suts’ exemptns thereby mata rtrictns on pable and willg gay lears. What about gays jog the Suts?

BOY SUTS CHANGE POLICY ON GAY LEARS

The Boy Suts of Ameri announced Monday that ’s liftg the ban on gay adults as Sut lears. * boy scouts gay controversy *

From s foundg, the group had a strict policy: No openly gay members. “Boy Suts of Ameri, ” the group said, “believ that homosexual nduct is nsistent wh the obligatns the Sut Oath and Sut Law to be morally straight and clean thought, word and ed. ) The advent of the Obama admistratn led to several polici aimed at improvg the liv of gays and lbians, and the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that banned openly gay men, lbians and bisexuals om ary service was overturned same year, the Boy Suts of Ameri executive board began what would bee a two-year review of s policy on gays.

BOY SUT STORY SHOULD HAVE MENTNED GAYS

Recently, NPR ran a story highlightg the 100th anniversary of the foundg of the Boy Suts. But the piece never mentned the fundg ntroversy that epted the early 1990's over the Boy Suts discrimatg agast gays. Or that their o... * boy scouts gay controversy *

But 2013, as the group faced cricism om lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr rights groups that assailed as phg discrimatory polici, the Boy Suts formally announced an end to s ban on gay Suts. What about gay adult lears?

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

This created a nundm: Once a gay boy turned 18, he would be barred om the was the challenge facg Pasl Tsier. In 2014, Tsier, a 17-year-old om Maryland, beme the first openly gay Eagle Sut.

Gat, who served unr Print Obama when “don’t ask, don’t tell” was repealed, urged the group to end s ban on gay lears. Eventually, the executive board sid wh Gat and voted that year to end the policy on gay adult lears. Wahls, who found Suts for Equaly, a nonprof group that advot for stronger protectns the anizatn for gay and transgenr people, ld the move.

GAY BOY SUTS? WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR BOYS?

The rporate boytts helped, but the end, lol rentment — om small-town chapters to Facebook pag — led to a change of heart at the natnal article is om the archive of our partner Boys Suts of Ameri nfirmed the mors on Monday that s natnal board was approachg a cisn that might allow lol chapters to overri a longstandg ban on openly gay suts and lears. The acknowledgment me after s of ntroversy, culmatg a 2000 Supreme Court cisn that gave the Boy Suts the thory to discrimate agast gay people.

Most recently, a highly-ranked Sut California, Brian Andren, was nied the rank of Eagle Sut bee he was openly gay. And before that, lol troops Hoton, Virgia, and elsewhere routely ejected Sut lears who were disvered to be gay. Even wh our muny I n see some troops allowg gays and some banng them....

On one hand, the policy don't actually force Boy Sut troops to clu gay suts and lears, or anyone else they hadn't before; jt giv the go-ahead to troops who do want to open up membership. "burecrats" know better than they 's strange, then, that the same nservative muny, when nonted wh endg the Boy Suts' ban on gays, reverts to endorsg the most top-heavy kd of policy spe s long-documented effect on lol article is om the archive of our partner The Wire. Ray Suarez vtigat the ntroversy surroundg the Boy Suts and their policy agast gay lears.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* BOY SCOUTS GAY CONTROVERSY

Boy Sut Story Should Have Mentned Gays : NPR Public Edor : NPR .

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