Monthly Archives: July 2012

Returning Eagle Award?

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Should Eagle Scouts return their Eagle Scout Awards to the Boy Scouts of America’s national offices to protest the BSA’s continued practice of discrimination?

As an Eagle Scout, this question is extremely personal. As with other Eagle Scouts (there are no such things as “former Eagle Scouts,” there is an old saying, “once an Eagle, always an Eagle”), I spent years as a scout in a variety of troop leadership positions, worked on many merit badges, and completed a time-consuming service project (for which I also received an award from my city). So, even considering parting with one’s Eagle Scout Award is a very personal and soul-searching experience.

Many within the BSA belittle and laugh at the actions of those Eagle Scouts who return their Eagle Scout Awards. Such disdain from active volunteer scout leaders is a clear indication of the organization’s lack of scouting’s basic principles. Some scouters seem to fixate on the medal itself and dismiss both the symbolism the medal represents, as well as the symbolism of returning the medal. It is ironic that these scouters dismiss  symbology, when the entire BSA program is predicated on symbolism: fleur-de-lis, scout sign, scout handshake, uniforms, the entire advancement program, flags, etc. To scorn symbolic actions when the entire scouting program is wrapped up within symbols indicates that they have no basic understanding of scouting whatsoever.

It should be noted that this recent wave of Eagle Scouts returning their Eagle Scout Awards to the BSA is not new. After the Supreme Court upheld the BSA’s right to discriminate against whomever it wishes to do so in 2000, many Eagle Scouts returned their Eagle Scout Awards to the BSA. Also, many Eagle Scouts who joined the National Eagle Scout Association (usually at the time they earned their Eagle and their membership was paid for by family or friends), found themselves expelled from the NESA when they learned that they were either non-heterosexual or non-theistic.

At that time, as well as today, the BSA has downplayed the number of Eagle Scouts who have returned their awards. Given the Internet today, it is easier than ever to document the number of Eagle Scouts who have stated that they returned their awards and compare it with the BSA’s “less than 10″ obvious tall tale. Photographs of the actual medals and letters provide clear evidence of these actions. Given the BSA’s inability to follow the first point of the Scout Law – “A Scout is Trustworthy” – one has to wonder if returning an Eagle Scout Award will have any impact with the BSA?

Some have decided to send their Eagle Scout Awards to Scouting for All, to not only truthfully account for such actions, but to hold the awards in trust until the day the BSA ends its discriminatory practices. (They even have a page which lists those who have surrendered their medals.) Once their medal has been mailed to S4A, they simply send a letter to the BSA informing them of their action and reasons. You may consider sending your Eagle patch or NESA membership card to the BSA, instead of your medal. This might be the smarter course of action to take given the BSA’s inability to be trustworthy.

But, I would challenge those Eagle Scouts who do consider the BSA’s current membership policies to be antithetical to scouting’s principles to do the following:

  • Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper(s) denouncing the BSA’s policies.
  • Contact the local United Way chapter and find out if they have a non-discrimination policy (religious belief and/or sexual orientation) in regards to with which organizations that they give money. If so, do they give ANY money to the local council? If so, ask them why?
  • Does your local public school permit the local council to recruit public school children during instructional time? If so, why?
  • Does your local public school provide free or reduced rental costs to local scout units that are not available to any other organization? If so, why?
  • Does your local council insist that they are “inclusive,” yet do not mention sexual orientation as not being a bar to membership ANYWHERE? If they insist that they are “different” from BSA national, tell them you’re gay/atheist and ask for a membership application and see what happens.
  • Have you talked with friends and family members about the BSA’s policies and how destructive it is to children to learn that some people are second class and immoral, because of their religious beliefs or sexual orientation? What about friends who have children that are scout-age? Are they thinking of having their children join the BSA?

The bottom line is that returning your hard-earned Eagle Scout Award to the BSA is a symbolic action. Yes, a powerful symbolic action, but at the end of the day, what has it accomplished?(Please note that I am not discounting in any way the choice many have made to return their Eagle Award.) Yes, the media storm has been fantastic, but once you placed that package in the mailbox, then the hard work really begins – changing the BSA’s policies. Work that has been going on with the BSA since 1978!

Personally, my Eagle Scout Award is hanging on my wall in my home office. I don’t intend to return it to the BSA, because it is MINE. However, I intend to do whatever I can to make the public aware of the BSA’s discriminatory practices and urge that pressure be brought to bear on the BSA to change their policies.

What will you do?

Lost Trail

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     Recently, the BSA’s CSE (Bob Mazzuca) and its president (Wayne Perry) wrote an opinion-editorial (“Boy Scouts of America: Our politically unpopular trail”) defending the BSA’s recent “emphatic reaffirmation” of its long-held policy of discrimination. I think most people would have greater respect if the BSA came out and said that they hated LGBT and non-theistic persons and did not want them in the BSA. But they don’t. Consequently, they end up putting forth a nonsensical and illogical argument for their continued discrimination.

     Let’s take a look at some of the arguments the BSA uses to defend against the almost unanimous denunciation of its discrimination practices:

“Scouting’s leadership announced that after a two-year evaluation, it is maintaining its membership policy to allow the organization to most efficiently accomplish its mission of preparing young people for life. Scouting has once again taken the tough trail.”

     First of all, no one is buying that two years ago a “secret committee” was formed and that its report was released weeks AFTER the annual meeting. The annual meeting has been the time when such reports were presented to the national council. As to the committee’s exhaustive work in coming to its conclusion, without a document, it is impossible for anyone to verify that any work was actually done – as claimed.  In regards to the secrecy of the membership, well, it suggests that either: 1) there was no committee, or 2) the composition of the committee made the result a foregone conclusion.

“Let’s be clear. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) does not proactively inquire about anyone’s sexual orientation, and sexuality aside, as a private organization Scouting may deny membership to anyone whose behavior creates a distraction to its mission.”

     No one is contesting anymore the right of the BSA to practice discrimination in its membership policies. They went to the US Supreme Court to guarantee their right to discriminate. However, none of those who the BSA expelled were ever cited for any “behavior” which created any specific “distraction” to providing scouting to youth. Jennifer Tyrell’s pack wants her reinstated and the only “behavior” she exhibited was that someone did not like her asking questions about the pack’s finances. James Dale’s behavior was simply having a reporter mention his involvement in a college LGBT group. So, this argument about “behavior” is completely bogus.

“The fact is most of our youth members are under the age of 12, and the majority of the parents we serve do not believe Scouting is the right forum for same-sex attraction to be introduced, discussed or demonstrated in any way. Nor does Scouting endeavor to teach about sex. Scouting doesn’t do sexuality.”

     Who is talking about introducing, discussing, or demonstrating “same-sex attraction” within Scouting? None of the known gay scouts or scouters who were expelled from the BSA ever “introduced, discussed or demonstrated” same-sex attraction within scouting. All of the gay youth who were kicked out of the BSA were simply being scouts. All of the gay scouts/scouters who wish to remain within the BSA are not there because of their sexuality, they are there because they love the scouting program.

     No, the BSA does not “teach about sex” and “doesn’t do sexuality” (whatever that means), but, if the issue of sexuality is a concern, then the BSA has a BIG problem. Every time an adult leader walks into a unit meeting of scouts wearing a wedding ring/band, mentions his/her spouse/girl or boy friend, brings his/her spouse/girl or boyfriend to a BSA event where scouts are present, they are “doing sexuality.” Teenage scouts will talk amongst themselves about people they are attracted to and even dating. But, this sexuality is okay with the BSA? According to their statements, ANY sexuality is not permitted within the BSA. Yet, there does not seem to be a rash of expulsion of heterosexual scouts and scouters who repeatedly violate the BSA supposed “no sexuality” policy.  Hypocrisy anyone?

“With 2.7 million young people and 1.1 million adults, the BSA represents every socioeconomic, religious and ethnic community across the nation. It is unreasonable to expect any single policy to accommodate everyone’s views about this topic.”

     Actually, the BSA does NOT represent everyone. There are many Americans in this country who disagree with discrimination and the BSA does not “represent” these people. These include many within all of the faith traditions charter BSA units: Unitarian-Universalist, Church of Christ, Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, United Methodists, Wiccans, Baptists, Buddhists, etc. But the BSA is correct, not everyone will agree to “any single policy.” A majority of Mississippian’s still object to inter-racial marriage, and there are many others who support a variety of discriminatory and hateful positions. Does the BSA wish to associate themselves with this type of anti-American views?

“We fully understand and appreciate that not everyone will agree with the direction we’ve chosen. Our role is to equip young people with life skills so one day, they can make their own decision about these issues. Scouting won’t miss its small window of opportunity to provide such lessons to its youth.”

     Teaching youth that discrimination is acceptable, as long as you think others are somehow not “the best kind of citizen,” simply because of their religious beliefs or sexual orientation is a disservice to American youth. The BSA should be teaching youth that discrimination is wrong, so that they can go forth and make society a better place to live.

“Others will undoubtedly accuse Scouting of being “behind the times,” but it can’t be simply because it requires members to adhere to a policy; most organizations do that at some level.

Scouting can only be considered behind the times if you define it as teaching young people to sacrifice individual agendas for a common good and to be unafraid to take the tough and politically unpopular trail to accomplish your mission.”

     So, according to the BSA, the “common good” is discrimination. I must say that the BSA is consistent in their argument for discrimination. They practiced racial discrimination for their first 64 years of existence. It was not until 1974 – and the threat of a federal civil rights trial – that the BSA finally abandoned Jim Crow scouting. According to the BSA’s reasoning today, they retained racial discrimination, well beyond the Civil Rights Era, for the common good because they were “unafraid to take the tough and politically unpopular trail to accomplish” their mission to preach discrimination to our youth.

     It must be said that the BSA is caught between a rock and a hard place. Just like its problems with race in the past, society has moved beyond the BSA’s anti-LGBT positions and they can’t come out and say that “gays are bad.” Even when African Americans were banned from the BSA, they never said anything negative (officially) about African Americans. They know the value of public relations and so have to craft statements that state their discriminatory policies in a manner that is as “inoffensive” to as many Americans as possible. The problem they are rapidly finding out is that more and more Americans view the BSA’s position to be un-American and hateful. In this case, it is impossible to present a logical defense without revealing their true feelings – they hate the gays!

BSA Conscientious Objectors!

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The web site occasionally receives e-mails from current scouts and/or parents of scouts who enjoy scouting, but disapprove of the BSA’s practice of discrimination. The BSA’s position places them in a moral quandary; do they stay or leave the BSA?
If they say that they can change the BSA’s policies by remaining a member, I politely inform them that there is no possibility of this happening. The BSA is NOT a democracy, nor does it operate on any form of democratic basis. However, if they enjoy scouting or their son/daughter enjoys scouting, then they could remain if the following conditions are met:

  1. The unit they belong to does not condone any anti-LGBT name calling, pejorative/insensitive jokes, bullying, etc. amongst its members.
  2. Their unit leaders are opposed to the BSA’s policies, or at least do not plan to expel any member who is LGBT or non-theistic.
  3. Their unit is amenable to taking steps to convey their opposition to the BSA’s discriminatory practices.

If these conditions are met, then one could in remain in the BSA and take some or all of the following steps to deprive the BSA of their most precious value — money:

    • Your family refuses to participate in any FOS or other council fund-raising activities.
    • Your unit ceases to participate in any FOS or other council fund-raising activities.
    • Encourage other scouting families and units not to  participate in any FOS or other council fund-raising activities.
    • Whenever possible/practical have your unit NOT participate in any district council events (eg: camporees, scout fairs, etc.). Any event that requires the unit to pay the BSA any fee is fair game to boycott.
    • Have your unit conduct its own summer camp, rather than attend a BSA owned/operated summer camp. There are many state and national parks that are available for one or more troops to camp at and allow the older scouts an opportunity to plan and run a week-long camp program.
    • Don’t buy any non-essential equipment/accessories from the BSA (eg: ScoutStuff). While advancement badges have to be purchased from the BSA, there are other alternatives to saving money and boycotting the BSA:

 

    • a unit uniform bank can be established to reduce the number of uniforms bought from the BSA;
    • a unit library can be established so that BSA literature will not need to be purchased as often;
    • the use of a copier and other electronic means to reduce the number of handbooks purchased (Note-Copyright law provides an exception for copying portions of published items for educational purpose);
    • don’t buy those district/council patches, commemorative or otherwise — there is a fairly high mark-up on these items.

 

  • Does your local United Way chapter provide funding to the council? If so, then that is more than likely a violation of your UW chapter’s non-discrimination policy. Given the recent events in the news, it will be harder for a local council to convince the UW chapter that “they” don’t discriminate. If they do, then simply ask the UW chapter to contact BSA national to verify that the council does not follow national policies!
  • Are you, or any family/friends employed by companies which participate in UW fund drives? If so, then bring to the company’s attention the UW chapter’s funding of the local council, especially if the company’s non-discrimination policy is in conflict with the BSA’s – which is ALWAYS the case, as the BSA continues to discriminate on the basis of religious discrimination.
  • Write letters to the editor denouncing the BSA’s policies. If you are not a registered adult member, then there should be no repercussions. If you are, then the local council could seek to have your membership revoked. So far, there has been no public account of the BSA revoking the membership of a youth member for speaking out against the BSA policies.
  • Have your unit adopt and enforce a non-discrimination policy. There have been units whose charters have been revoked for taking such actions and publicizing them. So, as long as the parents, unit leaders, and chartering organization are all on board, then whenever a prospective member is recruited, that their parents are informed and required to agree to the unit’s policy.
  • And lastly, speak out and defend any LGBT/non-theistic youth in your council from abuse.

These are just a few ways that you can impact the BSA where it hurts — money. Talking to other families and scout leaders and encouraging them to take these actions might not get the policies changed immediately, but they will send a message to the BSA.
If you have any other suggestions on what youth members and/or their parents might do to express their opposition to the BSA’s policies, while remaining within the organization, please let us know.