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The executive committee of the Boy Scouts of America has unanimously approved a resolution that would end the organization's blanket ban on gay adult leaders and let individual scout units set their own policy on the long-divisive issue.
In a statement Monday, the BSA said the resolution was approved by the 17-member executive committee on Friday, and would become official policy if ratified by the organization's 80-member National Executive Board at a meeting on July 27.
As the second paragraph notes, the full board still has to approve this change, but given that the committee's vote was 17-0 it seems unlikely that the board won't go along.
Not surprisingly, the usual suspects won't like it.
Quote:
Several denominations that sponsor large numbers of Scout units — including the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention — have been apprehensive about ending the ban on gay adults.
Such organizations have had to be dragged into the future time after time.
Some might say that it's past time that the BSA do this, and I would not disagree with that sentiment. Nonetheless, when a group does the right thing - regardless of the fact that their motive may not be pure as we'd hope and that they may not exactly be enthusiastic about it - I believe it is usually the best policy to applaud such moves and embrace them.
Well, the Catholic Church can create their own Boy Scout like organization if they don't like this change, and I am sure what they fear will happen right there in their own organization, if history is any guide.
I have NO problem with gay scout leaders
I DO have a problem with pedophile scout leaders
the two are NOT the same...NOT NOT NOT
I don't care what rules are or aren't in place, if my young son is involved in organizations such as this, I AM INVOLVED too,,,I go on campouts, I go to meetings, I become a scout leader...that's what my dad did...no one in my troop than I am aware of was ever abused or whatever...
Perhaps this can result in some more bridges rebuilt within our society.
Quote:
The Rev. Peter Morales, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), issued the following statement reacting to the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) recent policy change:
“I applaud the Boy Scouts of America for amending its adult leadership standards policy to include gay scout leaders. The development of a more inclusive BSA will not only strengthen it as an organization, but will benefit all boys and young men who look to scouting for guidance.
As a faith community, Unitarian Universalists have spoken out in support of full inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and ***** people for many years. This position, grounded in our religious convictions, has unfortunately put us into conflict with the BSA. Despite this conflict, the UUA has always acknowledged the many benefits that scouting offers to boys and young men. In fact, it is the recognition of these many benefits that was part of our motivation in calling for a more inclusive BSA.
Given the BSA’s recent policy change, I look forward to initiating a dialogue between our two organizations in order to re-establish right relations. Together, we can create a welcoming community for all UU boys and young men who want to participate in scouting.”
The Boy Scouts of America on Monday ended its nationwide ban on openly gay adult leaders. But despite a compromise allowing conservative church-sponsored units to pick their own volunteer leaders, the Mormon church, the country’s largest sponsor of Scout units, said it might leave the organization.
Quote:
Mormons use the Boy Scouts as their main nonreligious activity for boys, and the Cub Scout and Boy Scout units they sponsor accounted for 17 percent of all youths in Scouting in 2013, the last year for which data have been published.
Are the scouts going to tell parents if the leaders are gay?.I would sure as hell want to know before i sent my kids there.Parents need to know so we can make an informed choice.
Wouldn't it defeat the purpose of the policy change if the policy explicitly facilitated active bigotry against gay leaders?
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