Posted on 10/05/2012 7:27:25 AM PDT by Zakeet
Ryan Andresen has spent a decade completing the requirements for the coveted Eagle Scout award, and now that he is just about turn 18 -- the cut-off date for attaining the highest honor -- his Boy Scout troop won't approve it because he is gay.
His project, a "tolerance wall," was inspired by the years of hazing he endured in middle school in Moraga, Calif., and later at Boy Scout summer camp, where his nicknames were "Tinkerbell" and "faggot."
"I had I had no idea what gay was at that point," said Andresen, who described hazing that included, among other rituals, having the word "fag" written in charcoal across his chest.
"It was really embarrassing and humiliating," he said. "And I was terrified."
[Snip]
A senior and honors student who hopes to go the University of San Francisco, Ryan joined the Boy Scouts at age 6. "He just liked the outdoors and hiking," said Karen Andresen, 49.
Ryan came out to his parents when he was "around 16," said his mother. In July, he wrote a letter to the troop in response to a bullying incident and "thought he could help," disclosing he was gay.
But just this week the scoutmaster of Troop 212, Rainer Del Valle, refused to give the final signature on Ryan's project, one that he had initially approved, according to the Andresens.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Eagle projects are supposed to be something that improves the community and involves your entire troop. This sounds like a fourth-grade art fair project.
You know that that adds up to??
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!
You don't like the Scouts rules, then don't join the Scouts..
Good point.
In all my years serving in various positions with my troop, I guess I never saw an instance where there was a scout who was openly proclaiming homosexuality. Therefore, because we don’t go around asking scouts what their sexual orientation is, I was saying that my troop didn’t actively “screen” scouts who might be homosexual.
Now maybe all of that was handled by the Scout Master and I never saw it, but your point about being morally straight and reverance to God is a good enough reason to kick them out of scouts. I stand corrected.
I stand corrected. You and gunny are correct.
See my post to gunny for more detail on why I stated what I did.
A troop is correct as far as Girl Scouts go, but Cub Scouts (Grades 1-5) typically are in what is called a den—it goes from Tiger all the way up to Webelos 2—then they cross over to Boy Scouts after they have met the requirements. The dens of Cub Scouts form a pack. Boy Scouts are in troops, just like Girl Scouts.
My brother was an Eagle Scout, although I can’t recall what he did for his project. I know of boys who have built an outdoor stations of the cross or some sort of grotto at the parish my mom belongs to in Indiana. In Arkansas, there was a young man from our church who did some sort of construction project at one of the local Catholic schools—it was right across the street from our house and I remember seeing them work on it.
"pack" is cub scouts ... "troop" is boy scouts (and girl scouts, IIRC)
His story, or the reporting of it, is bullshiite. You can’t be a boy scout at 6. And you certainly can’t take a decade to complete the requirements for Eagle rank.
The Eagle Scout service project would have to be pre-approved before proceeding. And anything homo would have been nipped in the bud.
This is a total fabrication.
Scout ping
Since when did a mental disorder stop him from lying about his becoming a victim?
There are no "gay" genes or traced genetic deficiencies...
There are no "gay" hair follicles or other DNA markers that make "gay" a biological identity...
ULTIMATELY (& BIBLICALLY):
Being "gay" is what a person has decided to do....
...and how one chooses to act out their sexual urges...
--IT'S NOT--
...who you really are...
That's all...
Boy Scouts of America believes that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the obligations in the Scout Oath and Scout Law to be morally straight and clean in thought, word, and deed. The conduct of youth members must be in compliance with the Scout Oath and Law, and membership in Boy Scouts of America is contingent upon the willingness to accept Scouting’s values and beliefs. Most boys join Scouting when they are 10 or 11 years old. As they continue in the program, all Scouts are expected to take leadership positions. In the unlikely event that an older boy were to hold himself out as homosexual, he would not be able to continue in a youth leadership position.
Despite the first two sentences, what really happens to homosexual youth is that they cannot take leadership positions. At the smaller level, this means they can't be a patrol leader, assistant patrol leader, quartermaster, etc. for their patrol as a young Scout. More importantly, they can never move from First Class to Star, Star to Life, or Life to Eagle - because those ranks all require an additional period of tenure in the Troop in a youth leadership position.
Not just approved by the Troop Advancement Committee, but by the District Advancement Committee. Something's extremely fishy about this.
Also boys who have completed the fifth grade and are at least ten years old, or have completed the Arrow of Light and are at least ten years old.
The project should improve the community and demonstrate leadership skills over your peers - which doesn't simply include Scouts. Involving only Scouts is actually the easy way out.
When you find a Scout who's able to involve friends from school, church, and the neighborhood, as well as other Scouts . . . that's impressive.
I may be wrong, but I think the Boys Scouts rules only prohibit gay leaders, not gay Scouts. Someone who is more familiar with the Boy Scouts can correct me if I'm wrong.
When the scout leaders caught us (which was usually most of the time), we were sent up to retreive the clothes and assigned an extra cleaning detail.
Still, it was worth it to see the mortified look on the face of the depantsee.
I’m guessing this story is somewhat Bouncy, along with a heap of “It’s all about me” liberal victimhood.
Actually, USF is a Catholic college. However, it is a Jesuit school, so not as firm on moral teachings as you might otherwise expect from a Catholic school.
“The news agency added that Andresen’s father resigned as assistant Scoutmaster after it was confirmed that Ryan wouldn’t receive the award.”
I received the petition last night and immediately called B.S. on it. This adds another dimension. They’re just outside San Francisco, the son knows the scouts rules but decides to flaunt them, dad was an assistant scout master, apparently has a beard... This stinks to high heaven as a set-up. Someone should be investigating the dad for Jerry Sandusky activity.
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