Back in 1910, when the Boy Scouts of America was founded, their stated mission was "to teach patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred values."
Those values have been debated over the years. In 2000, the Supreme Court ruled that as a private organization, the Boy Scouts had a right to exclude gay people from scouting and leading.
And this past Tuesday, after nearly two years of evaluating their membership policy, the Boy Scouts announced that they would continue to exclude gays from their organization. In an official statement, Bob Mazzuca, chief Scout executive, said: “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.”
Jennifer Tyrrell disagrees with the Boy Scouts’ membership policy, and hand-delivered a petition to their headquarters yesterday, with over 300,000 signatures, asking for a change. Up until April of this year, Tyrrell was a scout leader for her son’s den. She was dismissed for being gay. "It was horrifying to me, actually," Tyrrell says. "I loved scouting, and I still think it's a great program. It just has this policy that needs change. It was devastating."
"You can't teach children to be of good moral character, and also teach them that it's OK to hate or discriminate against other people," Tyrrell says. It's actually very dangerous language. It's very detrimental to the children of today. If a boy happens to realize that he's gay at a very young age, and he's been sent this message by this huge cultural institution saying 'you're not good enough to be with us, or somebody's family's not good enough to be with us,' it's very dangerous."
Tyrrell says that, in her meeting at the national Scouting headquarters, nobody produced evidence of parental opposition to gays holding positions within the organization, which she says was their rationale for her dismissal. In fact, on the local level, her sexuality had never been an issue. "On the local level, they knew from day one that I was gay and they encouraged me and said it would never be a problem," Tyrell says. "It never was, until I uncovered some financial issues within the ranks, so that's where my sexuality then came up."
"All my scouting parents rallied behind me and said 'We love Jen, she's a great leader, we don't care that she's gay,'" she says. "'The kids love her, and that's really all that matters.'"
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Comments [20]
I am more troubled with the BSA allowing female scoutmasters. How are boys supposed to talk about "boy stuff" to a woman? Isn't this why families put their boys in the Scouts, so they can be "boys"? The only way I imagine a male scout leader can be identified as homosexual is if he tells his troops that he is. Why would a man talk to boys about his sexual orientation? It would be the same as a man talking to boys about his misogyny or fetishes or anything intimate. If a heterosexual male scout leader encounters a scout identifying himself as homosexual he should have the boy's parents deal with it, and shouldn't say anything to the other boys unless the boy's behavior is causes problems within the troop.
But, J.F. Dargon, when you say "leaders that happen to be homosexual pedaphiles preying upon impressionable boys", why is that any more of an issue than, say, leadership that happens to be heterosexual pedophiles preying upon impressionable children of either gender? Pedophiles come in all shades. The problem is not in sexual orientation. The school system has no problem with this; it's illegal to ban homosexual people from teaching children. Where's the record for pedophilia on them?
My two sons are boy scouts and I am very proud of the work their troop does in our community. They have a gay member in their troop and I can't imagine him being rejected; they work together like brothers. Sexuality does not play a part in their experience and should never be a reason to isolate a boy from this organization. I am very disappointed in The Boy Scouts of America.
I wonder if the issue might also be that she said that she had uncovered some financial issue(s) and her being gay is just a good excuse to sweep it under the rug?
I am really disappointed that your program looked further into this issue by asking listeners to comment on whether or not they agreed with all the policies of any organization to which they belonged. THAT IS THE WRONG QUESTION. This is not just any old policy issue, it is discrimination that should not be tolerated, especially on a public radio station. Frankly Celeste, you should take your son out of the Scouts and be proud to say that on the radio. It's outrageous to consider this issue to be anything other than what it is - discrimination.
I am proud to be a gay American.
Lucy from Brooklyn
The danger the BSA is attempting to avoid lies not in homosexuality, but rather in leaders that happen to be homosexual pedaphiles preying upon impressionable boys. As a former scout and den leader, I believe there are subtle differences that require understanding. Such is the case with Ms. Tyrrell's involvement as a den leader. Her group is probably a small one that requires close parental or guardian involvement. Such differences require the BSA to determine on a case by case basis within it various councils whether or not those parents or guardians approve of the leader's involvement.
What is the issue? Fear? Of what?
I was a Girl Scout from Juniors, First Class, to adult leader.
I am taking my sons out of Boy Scouts and quitting as a leader because of their policies. I am very proud of the GSA and I wish the BSA would wake up and become as diverse as the culture we live in.
As a private, exclusive organization the Boys Scouts of America have every right to determine who is or isn't allowed to join or lead their group. I personally disagree with BSA's decision and am disgusted and outraged that they are turning away some of their best and most talented members and leaders simply based on their sexual orientation. So I choose to have nothing to do with BSA. That is also my right. Instead, I support organizations that align with what's important to me.
Couldn't the Boy Scouts come up with a policy of "Don't ask,don't tell?"
I of course am kidding. Interesting how The Military is now accepting of Gays but the Boy Scouts aren't.
I guess the ignorant fear by the Organization is of Pedophilia.
Now if the Organization said,"No Pedophilia will be tolerated." Now, that makes sense.
Gay people are not predators.
I am sure that there are still predators who are very straight laced upstanding citizens who live in their dark worlds, trying to become leaders of The Boy Scouts.
Perhaps at some level the organization's leaders felt that the immaturity of the boys would not be compatible with sexuality in the type of settings they're normally in. Immaturity can lead to inappropriate or criminal behavior. Even heterosexuality is avoided in the Boy Scouts by the fact that it's a boys-only organization. Unlike the military where the members are adults, of both genders, and are aware of the social norms that retrict inappropriate behavior.
I think it's about time that some organization be able to stand up for what they believe in & not be rolled over by the next gay or liberal activist who comes down the pike, whose only agendga is, unknowingly, to destroy this country - there's nothing dangerous about about having some convictions & sticking with them
I've been dragging my conservative friends kicking and screaming into the future all my life. I'm 66 and getting a bit tired of it. Oh well!
Chick Fil A's recent proclamation against the LGBT community is enough to make me stop being a customer of that establishment. It was a great place to get a quick bite to eat, and hosted many family friendly activities that my children enjoyed. However, I cannot and WILL NOT condone that kind of discrimination. In this day and age, anyone who wants to support families canNOT marginalize the LGBT community.
I feel for Jennifer. I am all for gay marriage, equal rights re: taxation, insurance, inheritance, adoption, etc. But I have to say I think the BSA should be able to include or exclude whomever they want as a private organization. Just like I wouldn't want to argue that a Catholic priest should be forced to marry two gay people, this situation is the same. Maybe it is time for a more modern and inclusive group start to rival BSA.
The Boy Scouts have the right to allow whom they decide to join their ranks. End of story.
The Republican Party, of which I am a member. I am fiscally conservative and socially liberal. Also referred to at various times in history as a Jeffersonian Republican, a Lincolnian Republican, and a Whitman Republican. Thank you for a great show.
I don't agree with all of the values of the group to which I belong - the human race.
I feel the boy scouts did the right thing. As a private group they get to control who joins. it is not about telling gays they are not good enough, it is telling them their behavior does not fit the values of the boy scouts. the guest said that her sexuality is just one aspect of herself. so how can banning homosexual behavior be a rejection of her entire person?
I'm a member of an organization whose basic tenets I disagree with. I attend church, and I'm an atheist. I go for community, and the chance to sit with other people without buying anything, earning anything, watching television, complaining, or being competitive. I enjoy their company immensely, and don't get into the religious side of things (never mind that no one discusses religion at coffee hour!) The decision by the Boy Scouts saddens me tremendously. My dad was blacklisted in the 50s and it feels like we're back there now.
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