A controversial debate within the Boy Scouts of America is coming to a head this week as 1,400 of its leaders vote on lifting the ban that doesn’t allow homosexuals or atheists into its ranks.
Scouts, scout leaders, and their families across the nation are steeling up for the final vote on whether or not to allow gay or atheist boys into their organization. On both sides of the debate, people rallying with gusto.
The Boy Scouts of America, based in Irving, Texas, will decide on Thursday whether or not its policies will change. Last summer, the Scouts had confirmed its policy on banning openly gay youths, a decision that the Supreme Court ruled legal for a private organization. But the controversy that surrounded that announcement has, over the last year, made the organization open to the possibility of change.
On one side of the argument, supporters of the ban believe that it would defy the Boy Scout oath to “do their duty to God” and remain “morally straight” to allow openly atheist or homosexual boys into the Christian organization. Those who are not necessarily morally opposed fear that eliminating the ban would at the very least result in the departure of conservative church-sponsored troops, significantly reducing the group’s already decreasing numbers.
“The problem is, do I let my kids who are straight share bathrooms and shower houses with kids who are not?” wonders Joe Marion, an Eagle Scout and troop leader. “How do I divide these kids up for camps? I mean, do I put the gay kids together and then the straight kids together?”
On the other side, gay-rights supporters and liberal Scout leaders call for change and acceptance. Scouts and leaders across the country have come out—many anonymously because they want their voices heard but remain too dedicated to their troops to risk being ousted—and they want change. Many argue that even lifting the ban doesn’t go far enough because it only allows scouts to be open about their sexual orientation—leaders would still be forced into the closet.
“Scouting employees know it is now more difficult to accomplish our recruiting and partnership goals because of the discriminatory ban,” one scout leader wrote anonymously. “Twenty-eight of 30 national youth-serving organizations, many of which are our strategic partners, are strongly opposed to the anti-gay policy, and corporations nationwide are questioning their financial commitment to the Boy Scouts or cutting ties altogether.”
Both sides had briefly considered allowing enrollment to be a local decision, but both agreed that this was a poor idea, either because it would still allow gays into the organization or because it would still allow discrimination. The only point that both sides agree on entirely is that scout numbers are down so the organization needs to find new ways of connecting with youths.
On February 6, a national poll was released by Quinnipiac University that showed that 55-percent of voters supported opening up the troops to gay and lesbian scouts and venturers, while 33-percent were opposed.
We will see on Thursday whether those numbers translate into a vote that will drop the ban, and if that happens, maybe the ban on openly gay scout leaders will be next.
“Ultimately we can’t anticipate how people will vote but we do know that the result will not match everyone’s personal preference,” said Deron Smith, the BSA national spokesperson.
People across the country are rallying at Grapevine, Texas, where the vote is being held. Passions run high on both sides of the debate, but we won’t know until tomorrow who will end up cheering and who will end up dissenting. Nor will we know what effect the decision will have on membership within the Scouts—will it drive away more people than it brings in, or will the outcome strengthen the organization?
“We are absolutely dedicated to restoring integrity to Boy Scouting and reinvigorating the program,” said Tracie Felker, whose openly gay son is still on track to becoming an Eagle Scout. “That can only be done by removing the stain of discrimination.”
Whatever the decision, be prepared.
Read more:
Move Over Boy Scouts, Here Come the Hacker Scouts (Infographic)
Eagle Scouts Returning Their Badges for LGBT Equality
Who Took the Boy Out of Boy Scouts?
Photo: Richard Rodriguez/AP