If you haven't heard the news, the BSA is considering ending their national ban on homosexuals in Scouting. The proposal, from this media release, will leave membership requirements of sexual orientation up to the individual charter organizations. The policy will be formally discussed and considered at the National Board Meeting next week.
If you did not know, I am heavily involved with the BSA. And if you didn't realize it based on all of my Cato links, my opinion on homosexuals is that they should be treated like everyone else. Of course, I also believe that the BSA has the right to whatever stupid membership restrictions it wants and the government can't force them to not be idiots. It's up to the people within the BSA and those with relationships with the BSA to pressure the organization into better policies. And that's what seems to have happened. From outside the BSA you have organizations like UPS, United Way, and Intel that have stopped their financial support because of the discrimination. From the top of the BSA, you have two National Board members promising to fight the discrimination policy. You have several large Councils proposing to change the policy. You have individual Councils enacting non-discrimination policy in the face of the national policy and getting reprimanded by National. You have units and Districts ignoring the policy and recommending gay Scouts for the Eagle rank. And each one of these events was followed at public outcry against the BSA.
I can only hope that the Mormon power bloc steps down and the proposal passes.
at Tuesday, January 29, 2013
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