NBC: Boy Scouts close to ending ban on gay members, leaders

[TMK9973]

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013...s-leaders?lite

Not a boy scout and not gay. But I am glad to hear about it anytime a group drops their support for a bigoted policy.

[JMS]

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013...s-leaders?lite

Not a boy scout and not gay. But I am glad to hear about it anytime a group drops their support for a bigoted policy.

I don't think they ever meant it to be bigoted. I think it was an antiquated policy which did not change as society changed. The boy scouts have come under a lot of pressure to change this policy, I'm glad they've finally made the jump into the 21st century. Good for the Boy Scounts. Could have come sooner, but I'll be a glasses half full kind of guy.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Is my beard scratchy, Canteen Boy?

[thebluefood]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCWdCKPtnYE

Expect social conservatives to have kittens over this, but you can't stop the march toward equality.

Crazy they're doing this since they reaffirmed their ban a few months ago.

[Larry]

Props to an organization that I've always respected, despite what I considered a bigoted policy.

[JMS]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCWdCKPtnYE

Expect social conservatives to have kittens over this, but you can't stop the march toward equality.

Crazy they're doing this since they reaffirmed their ban a few months ago.

Social Conservatives have a big problem on this issue... Young social conservatives don't agree with the anti gay rhetoric. So when the older leaders of the movement spew this hate speech it turns off an important demographic among their core supporters.

[thebluefood]

Social Conservatives have a big problem on this issue... Young social conservatives don't agree with the anti gay rhetoric. So when the older leaders of the movement spew this hate speech it turns off an important demographic among their core supporters.

Really? All the social conservatives I knew at East Carolina are on the anti-gay bandwagon. Mind you, this is Eastern North Carolina and the south has a special breed of conservatism, but that's from my experience.

When I think social conservatism, three things come to mind: guns, gays and abortion.

[fullnelson9999]

As an Eagle Scout, I'm happy about this. I never experienced any of my fellow scouts having an issue with the policy, even though they were gay. It's really up to the individual troops to decide how much they care.

[greenspandan]

I don't think they ever meant it to be bigoted. I think it was an antiquated policy which did not change as society changed. The boy scouts have come under a lot of pressure to change this policy, I'm glad they've finally made the jump into the 21st century. Good for the Boy Scounts. Could have come sooner, but I'll be a glasses half full kind of guy.

several things:

number one, they haven't done anything yet. don't congratulate them until they do.

number two, this change would not be a "jump". more of a baby step. individual scout troops would be free to discriminate or not. surely some would immediately pass doctrines of acceptance, while others would do the opposite. a true jump forward would be direction from the top that bigotry was not tolerated, but you will never get that from the BSA leadership, because they are bigots and this change would not be about them having a change of heart so much as them trying staunch the flow of bad press and boycotts.

the BSA is not embarassed by this policy, and it is not some holdover from a bygone era. they have been absolutely adamant in their full-throated endorsement and unrelenting enforcement of this policy of exclusion recently, consistently, frequently, and publicly. it seems like they have been re-affirming it about twice a year lately with minor dustups where they drop the hammer on some upstart troop that dares to have an out scoutmaster or makes any kind of pledge of tolerance.

this is always an amusing subject because people (and not just social conservatives) will come out of the woodwork to defend the organization because they had such a nice time as little boys with the pinewood derby and hiking through the woods or whatever, and gee nobody in THEIR troop was actively excluded or whatever to their knowledge, and they're sure was just some archaic policy that wasn't enforced. but the truth is this: if you allow your kids to participate in scouts today, you are actively perpetuating homophobia, regardless of your beliefs or intentions.

---------- Post added January-28th-2013 at 03:57 PM ----------

Really? All the social conservatives I knew at East Carolina are on the anti-gay bandwagon. Mind you, this is Eastern North Carolina and the south has a special breed of conservatism, but that's from my experience.

When I think social conservatism, three things come to mind: guns, gays and abortion.

the young conservatives i know basically don't like talking about it. they know the GOP is on the wrong side of history on this issue. they'll make token efforts to find ways to quibble with gay marriage but it is definitely the last thing on their agenda. they're way more worked up about welfare / entitlement / "feminazis" (barf) / political correctness / evil lying scientists willing to destroy the world economy for those precious grants / terrorists.

[Jumbo]

Fortunately, it seems decent God-fearing American conservatives (who's political party is no longer stupid!) are stepping up and trying to stop the infiltration of sinful homosexual youth from polluting a sacred national institution and diluting our precious bodily fluids.

The power of prayer shall compel thee!!!

Boy Scouts: We need more time for decision on gay membership

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013...mbership?lite=

"In the past two weeks, Scouting has received an outpouring of feedback from the American public. It reinforces how deeply people care about Scouting and how passionate they are about the organization," the organization said in a statement. "After careful consideration and extensive dialogue within the Scouting family, along with comments from those outside the organization, the volunteer officers of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Executive Board concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy."

A conservative group, the Family Research Council, said that it and 41 other groups ran a newspaper ad on Monday asking the BSA not to change the policy, and some conservative religious groups have urged their supporters to join in prayer to ask the board not to accept gays.

It's simple. Instead of choosing to be gay, or failing to have the decency to pledge yourself to a life of celibacy out of love for the lord and not act on your sinfulness (apparently mainly just that sin, doncha know), you can choose to be a scout and there would be no problemo.

Besides, this is America and the scouts are a private organizations and they have rights!11! No homos!!

<more at link>

[Major Harris]

my son is a scout, greenspan. don't accuse me of what you just accused me of.

i eat at chic-fil-a, too...just for the record.

[LadySkinsFan]

Too bad the boy scouts continue to have this policy. The Girl Scouts are much more progressive since they accept lesbian scouts/leaders.

[greenspandan]

my son is a scout, greenspan. don't accuse me of what you just accused me of.

i eat at chic-fil-a, too...just for the record.

i don't know what to tell you. if actively supporting and participating in an organization with overtly bigoted policies isn't condoning bigotry, i'm not sure what is. if you have an alternative interpretation, i am open to hearing it.

[Major Harris]

i don't know what to tell you. if actively supporting and participating in an organization with overtly bigoted policies isn't condoning bigotry, i'm not sure what is. if you have an alternative interpretation, i am open to hearing it.

what it is is realizing that there is way more to the decision to scout or not to scout than "they don't allow gays." i don't make decisions on single aspects, just as i don't vote on single issues. this is similar to my very conservative father telling me that you aren't a real christian if you vote for someone who is pro-choice. ridiculous.

there are a lot of great things that come out of scouting, and quite frankly, issues that are super important to you might not be as important to me, and vice versa. doesn't mean i condone bigotry.

[DjTj]

i don't know what to tell you. if actively supporting and participating in an organization with overtly bigoted policies isn't condoning bigotry, i'm not sure what is. if you have an alternative interpretation, i am open to hearing it.

When are you planning to move out of Virginia, which is a state that discriminates against gays by not allowing them to marry?

---------- Post added February-6th-2013 at 01:16 PM ----------

Update on this story: The Boy Scouts have delayed their decision until May: http://www.salon.com/2013/02/06/boy_..._anti_gay_ban/