Boy Scouts missing out on the future

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July 20, 2012

Boy Scouts missing out on the future

Anonymous Daily Star The Daily Star Fri Jul 20, 2012, 03:25 AM EDT

Conservative values are not uncommon among centenarians. So maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that the Boy Scouts of America, which celebrated its 100th birthday in 2010, recently reaffirmed a very conservative position on homosexuality.

With an announcement on Tuesday to uphold its ban on openly gay members and leaders, the BSA positioned itself squarely within its age cohort. After all, people born before 1928 continue to be the staunchest opponents of gay marriage, according to Pew Research Center data collected from 1996 to 2010.

Meanwhile, the Boy Scouts' little sister, Girl Scouts of the USA, has chosen a different path. Despite also celebrating her century mark this year, Little Sis has embraced a mission of diversity that includes accepting not only gay and lesbian members and leaders, but also transgender members (as well as atheists, who are also excluded by the Boy Scouts).

The BSA is within its legal rights as a private organization to exclude people based on sexual orientation, at least according to recent court decisions. But its justifications for doing so grow hollow as our society comes around to greater acceptance of gay, lesbian and transgender people.

Bob Mazzuca, chief scout executive of Boy Scouts of America, told Reuters that the decision was ultimately made because "The vast majority of the parents of youth we serve value their right to address issues of same-sex orientation within their family, with spiritual advisers, and at the appropriate time and in the right setting."

Fine and good. But the Boy Scouts do not exist in a bubble.

There will still be gay men and women in the world, whether they are part of this organization or not. And excluding them from membership will not stop Scouts from knowing, thinking, wondering or asking questions about homosexuality.

And while the policy specifies that "open or avowed homosexuals" will be barred from membership, how will the organization respond if a third party "outs" a Scout or leader? Will some sort of investigation commence? We shudder to think what that would entail.

At best, this policy provides yet another incentive for gay and lesbian people to stay in the closet. Scouts young and old will be forced to make a choice: give up the program they love, or lie about who they are.

At worse, it is institutionalized discrimination that supports an existing culture where gay and lesbian people are bullied, harassed, ridiculed, assaulted and worse.

The Boy Scouts may say they are helping to "build the future leaders of this country." But by excluding homosexuals, they are certainly missing out.

And the Girl Scouts, with its policy of inclusion and its mission to "develop girls as leaders who will change the landscape of society," look better poised to move into the future.