Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick99
I don't think they do it as an organization, discrimination that is. I think it is the work of individual people who say discriminate against atheists or gays. But then, discrimination is everywhere and rarely representative of the organization.
The interviewer of any given company can choose to not hire a gay or atheist person (although, how anybody would know this, unless very personal information is included in an application, is beyond me).
In short, I don't think BSA is a discriminatory organization, even though some of its members may be. However, I still challenge the veracity of the quote on the FFR site.
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The BSA discriminates against homosexuals, bisexuals and atheists. There have been numerous court cases against them. These are from BSA's own position statements and policies.
BSA Discrimination.org:Home -> BSA & Gays -> BSA's Gay Policy
Quote:
In its Position Statement dated January 1993, the BSA stated in part:
The Boy Scouts of America does not ask prospective members about their sexual preference, nor do we check on the sexual orientation of boys who are already Scouts.
The reality is that Scouting serves children who have no knowledge of, or interest in, sexual preference. We allow youth to live as children and enjoy Scouting and its diversity without immersing them in the politics of the day.
Membership in Scouting is open to all youth who meet basic requirements for membership and who agree to live by the applicable oath and law.
The Boy Scouts of America has always reflected the expectations that Scouting families have had for the organization.
We do not believe that homosexuals provide a role model consistent with these expectations.
Accordingly, we do not allow for the registration of avowed homosexuals as members or as leaders of the BSA.
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Note that they do not discriminate against children who *may* be gay, but.. if a teenager comes out, he will be booted.
Quote:
The issues of atheism, girls and homosexuality share several common elements (challenge to BSA's right to freedom of association; limited, high-profile challenges in each area, an appeal to emotions; potential image of "shaking the traditional organization").
Despite similarities. each issue should be discussed as a separate challenge. Reporters may initially call about one of the three issues, but then move into one or both of the other issues. However, each issue or specific challenge to an issue should be addressed individually. We want to avoid an appearance that the fundamentals of the BSA are being challenged.
A common theme frequently brought up by reporters is change. This may be particularly evident in any story referenced as being about "the BSA in the '90s". The BSA is an interesting study in contrasts...program elements and approaches may change (the new "Handbook", the Unacceptables Relevancy program, new merit badges, etc.), but the values inherent to Scouting (as stated in the Oath and Law) serve as the bedrock of the BSA.
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In 1992, James Dale filed suit after being expelled from BSA because he was openly gay. He was an Eagle Scout with over 30 merit badges. The Council admitted that he was expelled because he was gay after a newspaper article on a seminar about gay and lesbian youth where he was a speaker.
In 2001, Oak Park (a suburb of Chicago) refused to abide by the BSA policy in regard to discrimination and BSA did not renew the charter for their council. They joined Campfire Girls and Boys as a group.
In 2002, Darell Lambert, a 10 year veteran of scouting and an Eagle Scout was given a week to *find God* or to leave scouting. He had attained the rank of Eagle Scout *after* disclosing his atheism. He decided that he would not lie and was asked to leave scouting.
In 2003, Greg Lattera attended a local meeting about gays and BSA policy. He was 18 and his rank was just below Eagle. Two weeks after he attended this meeting, he received a letter asking him to resign because the council had receive information leading to his dismissal. He had attended the meeting in uniform and it was open to the press. He is 25 and has come out as gay.
More recently, in 2010, David Knapp, an ex-scout leader who is gay got an invitation to attend an Eagle Scout banquet. Council Executives *uninvited* him and told him he had been invited due to an administrative error. Knapp is 83 years old. He joined Boy Scouts in 1938 and attained his Eagle Scout honor in 1944. He continued working with his old troop as a Scout leader before being hired as a professional district Boy Scout executive on Long Island for the next 10 years. He got married, began raising a family and moved to Connecticut. But in 1986, Knapp came to realize he was gay and got a divorce. In November 1993, regional Boy Scout supervisors arrived at his front door to tell him he was being expelled from Boy Scouts of America because they found out from one of Knapp’s relatives he was gay. He believes he is a good role model for the boys despite his homosexuality.
Dorothy
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