I got an email from the Boy Scouts -- of which I am a relatively-proud 35+ year member, man and boy -- asking my opinion of the Ongoing Unpleasantness. The survey basically set up a few scenarios and asked my "choose one of five responses" opinion of them, and I answered them all fairly conservatively as one might expect from my last 3,758 posts on this blog.
But then it asked me to expand on a couple of rather specific questions. Here are the questions, and my answers.
What is your greatest concern if the policy remains in place and openly gay youth and adults are prohibited from joining Scouting? (Please be specific.)
I believe that there will be a backlash from the usual quarters far out of proportion to the actual percentage of gays in the general population, and that there will be charter partners who will drop their charters as a result. Clearly that will cause some upheaval and undoubtedly BSA will lose both youth and adult members over it. However, over half a century of life, I have watched other organizations contract and consolidate and often come out the stronger for it. I have no reason to believe that Scouting won't survive and be strengthened if it perseveres and continues to act in a consistent, moral and upright manner. There is no rule that says that Scouting must grow every year and certainly no guarantee that lowering standards will result in continued growth. The National Board needs to grow some backbone and stand up for Scouting's core beliefs, one of which should be that we are free to associate with those whom we wish to associate with, and free to refuse membership to those who do not meet our standards.
What is your greatest concern if the policy is changed to allow charter organizations to make their own decisions to admit openly gay Scouts and leaders? (Please be specific.)
As one of the questions suggested, this means that there will be differing standards from one charter organization to another. Which means that troops will have different standards. It will be confusing to parents trying to find the right troop or pack for their boy. If we start letting individual troops and packs set their own membership standards, it makes that decision more difficult, and frankly I wonder if a family chooses the wrong pack or troop and recognizes their error, whether they will then transfer to a more conducive organization or simply drop out of Scouting altogether.
If the Boy Scouts of America makes a decision on this policy that disagrees with your own view, will you continue to financially support the Boy Scouts?
(This was a multiple choice giving three possible answers, basically "yes, no, and I dunno". I chose:)
I do not believe I can find a way to continue.
If they had asked me to expand on that instead of making me choose a canned response, I would have said, "Not only will I discontinue my financial support, but I will drop my membership altogether, because it will no longer be the organization I first joined in 1967, rejoined in 1986 after a 12-year lapse, and which I have cherished ever since."
I calls 'em as I sees 'em. But that's my right as a free citizen of these United States, and damn the man who tells me otherwise.
I have been thinking about this subject for a while. I was a cub scout and boy scout as a youth. I am an Eagle Scout, a Firecrafter, OA, the works. I got the full benefit of scouting as a boy and did not appreciate it at the time. I stayed in until I went to college.
In my early 20's I started out helping a local troop and got fully involved. I considered a career as a professional Boy Scout and actually was offered two different jobs. I opted for better paying work instead.
I took another hiatus after moving to a new town, then got in again when my boys were of age for Cub Scouts. In all, I can say I have been involved with scouting almost half my life. At one point
If the Boy Scout thought allowing gay men and boys into the ranks was a good policy I could live with it. For example the National Organization came up with a version of the "God and Country" award for every faith. They have adapted to a wide range of belief systems over the years. But the national Boy Scouts are discussing the prospect of allowing gays out of political pressure. That I can not live with. The Boy Scouts of America should make changes because they want to, not because they are forced to.
A great number of Boy Scout Troops are still sponsored by Churches. A two-headed approach where each Troop or Pack makes its own membership rules is idiotic. You might as well go back to the earliest days of scouting where each troop made its own rules.
I do not like the idea the Scouts will cave their moral position out of pressure. Somehow, the idea they roll over goes against the principles instilled in me as a youth.
I have always directed my United way monies be used only for the Boy Scouts. I do not think I could do that going forward. Not because they let in gay leaders and youth, but because they bowed to political pressure.
I stopped giving money to United Way years ago and give directly to the local Council FOS drive instead. Lately that has been more than the minimum, although in the grand scheme of things it's still pretty small potatoes. While they may not miss it if I stop giving, if enough small donors like myself have the same reaction, it might be a different story.
There was a foundation that I gave money to for several years which I came to understand was not well run. There was another foundation under the same roof that is extremely well run, and I simply stopped giving money to the first one and doubled my donation to the second.
I'm not afraid to tell a charitable organization to fuck off if they do something I don't like. I wish more people would do the same.