Posted on 05/28/2014 10:30:17 AM PDT by Morgana
IRVING, TX, May 27, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who led the military to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell, says that he would have allowed homosexual leaders for Boy Scouts of America.
Gates, who was elected to head the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) for a two-year term last week, said that he "would have supported having gay Scoutmasters, but at the same time, I fully accept the decision that was democratically arrived at by 1,500 volunteers from across the entire country."
A year ago, BSA allowed openly homosexual scouts for the first time. The policy reads that "No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone.” The policy took effect on January 1, 2014.
Gates, who said he "was prepared to go further than the decision that was made," declared in a public statement last week that he did not intend to reignite the very public, months-long controversy. According to Gates, "to try to take last year's decision to the next step would irreparably fracture and perhaps even provoke a formal, permanent split in this movement - with the high likelihood neither side would subsequently survive on its own."
However, a "formal" split has already taken place. Due to last year's vote, the organization Trail Life USA was created. The new group says it aims "to be the premier national character development organization for young men which produces Godly and responsible husbands, fathers, and citizens."
Furthermore, the decision by BSA to allow gay scouts has led to criticism from people on both sides of the debate. Homosexual activists say the group did not go far enough, whereas many Christian parents and groups say BSA is bowing to public pressure from homosexual advocates to affect its membership, despite its Christian roots.
Corporate pressure has been especially aggressive. Earlier this year, Walt Disney World threatened to not allow employees to volunteer for BSA as part of its VoluntEARS program in 2015 if the organization does not allow gay Scout leaders. Diversity Inc. reports that Merck & Co., Ernst & Young, Major League Baseball, and AT&T are just some of the other companies that have pressured BSA to change its policies.
Even President Obama has gotten involved, saying in 2010 that "gays and lesbians should have access and opportunity the same way everybody else does, in every institution and walk of life."
Trail Life said it had 500 groups join it as of December 2013. Over 70 percent of BSA's membership consists of faith-based organizations, and many of its Catholic, Mormon, and United Methodist-affiliated troops have expressed concern about the new policy. The Southern Baptist Convention, which has 4,000 troops affiliated with it, condemned last year's change.
BSA says its policies will protect its members from abuse by Scout leaders, whether homosexual or heterosexual. Those policies include a mandate that at least two adults are present at all times, and leaders are not allowed to touch Scouts.
And California Democrats sought to END statewide bans on Communists in educator roles.
Very telling.
Shoot the the queer.. :/
Have your son check out Tail Life USA. Our entire troop switched over. As the Troopmaster, I can unhesitatingly tell you that it is everything you wanted in a Scouting program.
sodomite scouts of america.
With my opinion of most of the legal profession nowadays, I wouldn’t be surprised if many lawyers actually want homosexual adult males as scoutmasters in the hopes that the pedophile incidents would increase. Then they can sue the BSA for instituting the policies the libs wanted in the first place.
An anecdote that shows nothing, proves nothing and is nonsense.
National is done with this. Scouting happens on the local level with the majority of troops sponsored by churches. It’s a bunch of talk.
Disney is disgusting.
The BSA is on the slope to oblivion, hiring Gates means it’s full speed ahead into depravity
Agreed. No matter what the “official” policy is, there will be good troops and not so good troops. Each parent needs to get to know the scoutmaster and his assistants, and a little about the troop. Some emphasize camping and life skills, while others are more about public service, etc. Find a troop (in our town of 15K there are at least 3 I know of, and more in the surrounding area) that is a good fit. Needless to say, if you find liberal and/or homosexual scouts/leaders, keep looking.
Agreed. Even decades ago there were differences between Troops and Scout Masters. Parents shopped for the best one for their son. It still works that way today.
We’re confusing the “politics” happening at the national level with the reality on the ground.
I agree. Somebody like John Edwards must be exstatic celebrating his future fortune. To win a tort judgment a plaintiff usually needs to prove the defendant acted negligently and that negligence caused the plaintiff’s injury. The customary standard for negligence is tolerability; IOW, was the plaintiff’s injury a reasonably foreseeable result of the defendant’s actions. From now on, given what happened to the RC Church, the idea that injurious sexual activity won’t happen in the BSA due to its admission of active homosexuals, is laughable, making the billion dollar suits and settlements as inevitable as the rising and setting of the Sun.
Would you cling to this belief had one of the arrestees been a conservative radio talk show host?
Yes. One bad conservative talk show host, doesn’t mean they’re all bad.
I don’t think - and I believe you will agree on rereading the post - that I suggested all BS leaders were bad.
But this isn’t the first.
Weirdoes are attracted to their prey. It happens in the best of places. The two deep rules work well. People are more watchful than ever.
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