During the Utah Pride Parade earlier this month, two Scout leaders marched as part of a larger group of participants in Scouting uniforms, incurring the ire of the local and national councils.
When Peter Brownstein and Neil Whitaker marched with a group in Scout uniforms in the Utah Pride Parade, they were not trying to cause trouble, but trouble is what they got.
The two men paraded with a group ranging from 9 to 50, most wearing their scouting uniforms. Unfortunately, Brownstein and Whitaker were the only two Scout leaders, the rest being scouts themselves or retired.
Despite the Boy Scouts of America getting rid of their ban on gay scouts, there is still a lot of controversy because they do not allow troop leaders to be openly homosexual. Because of this, the Great Salt Lake Council took offense, reprimanding the men and citing a rule that does not allow any member of the BSA to use scouting as part of a political agenda.
“What we did was carry the American flag proudly at the front of the parade; and having scouts in color guards in parades is as American as apple pie,” Brownstein said.
“We weren’t rallying for a politician or political event,” Whitaker told The Salt Lake Tribune. “To me, it was being supportive of my fellow human beings.”
The two men have been asked to sign an apology letter for allegedly breaking the rules, but neither will sign it, even if it means they will be kicked out of the Scouts. The National Council is backing the local one in this matter.
Brownstein, who wasn’t wearing his uniform during the parade, said that the only people the BSA would be hurting by revoking his membership were the troops: “I am a straight scoutmaster with a wife, two children, and a golden retriever so it does not impact me other than the loss to our troop of some great volunteers to the program.”
“The unauthorized wearing and misuse of the Boy Scout uniform is not new or unique. These individuals, many of whom are not members of the program, do not represent the Boy Scouts of America,” BSA spokesman Deron Smith said.
“It is unfortunately that these individuals chose to use a youth program to seek attention for themselves and to advance a personal agenda. When individuals inadvertently or willfully choose not to follow BSA regulations, we remind them of Scouting’s policies and that to simply disobey a rule because you disagree with it is not an example to set for youth.”
Video: HLN/YouTube
The Boy Scouts and other non-for-profits have a completely different problem on their hands: government. In California the Boy Scouts had their tax exempt status threatened by the govt nonetheless, if they didn’t change their organizational principles. Lawmakers actually passed a law that forced them to change their operating principles, which is a violation of the Constitution. If gay people care about freedom they could help. The BSA could possibly sue the IRS for being “unduly prejudiced” towards the LGBT bias and the IRS and Congress for making vieled and blatant threats to revoke their tax exempt status in a… Read more »