Openly gay boys finally allowed in the Boy Scouts!

[swt61]

IMO it's about fucking time! Now the push to allow gay men to be Scout leaders.

 

My viewpoint is no surprise, I'm sure. How do you feel about this? I will keep an open mind, I promise.

[agile_one]

With you on this, Steve. I think the tipping point in the lgbt movement has been reached. Ie: even middle America gets that lgbt people are just people, and you can't catch gay, and they are not predators.

I hope I am right.

[Voltron]

I hope you're right too, Gene.  Cheers to the Scouts for getting a fucking clue.

[aardvark baguette]

Maybe they should listen to the catholic church, since gays in the boyscouts could lead to abused children

 

/s

[swt61]

Maybe they should listen to the catholic church, since gays in the boyscouts could lead to abused children

 

/s

 

Yes of coarse, but we could follow the Catholic Church's lead, and just keep moving the offenders to new troops.

Edited May 23, 2013 by swt61

[swt61]

My Dad was a Scout Leader, and I know it brought him great enjoyment. I know it would for me as well, but I cannot imagine putting myself in that type of situation, as a gay man. At least not in South Texas. Just the slightest innuendo of inappropriate behavior would devastate me.

 

Well one step at a time!

[MoonShine]

Yes, about time and I hope Gene is right as well.

[agile_one]

I believe the Catholic Church's problems with abuse stem more from insistence on celibacy and no marriage for priests than abusive priests. Just as many wronged women and girls as boys. It's all wrong - no apologies here, and I was brought up Catholic.

Steve, I'd love for my grandson to in any troop you lead.

Edited May 23, 2013 by agile_one

[Aimless1]

Discrimination in any form really pisses me off.  I get mad every time I get an email asking me to pick the 44th President of the United States in the picture of all the presidents.  That is NOT funny.  It is blatant racism.  So too the Boy Scouts needing to revamp their policy to include homosexuals.  Blatant bigotry.  

 

That being said I would be disingenuous if I didn't admit my own views regarding the lgbt community is evolving.  Like most of us I am cursed by religious tenants, preconceived ideas and my own prejudices.  Like many here, I am fortunate in that I am open to hearing other points of view, and listening to them.  I don't mind if what I think or believe is challenged.  I am even more fortunate in that as an insurance agent I am able to interact with a broad cross section of people.  Many of those clients I have grown close to, and some have challenged my view by their strength of character.

 

Although my views are in flux and no longer rigid ... I will have no truck with prejudice and bigotry and racism.  Sad 

the Boy Scouts need to change official policy to do the right thing.

[aardvark baguette]

my whole family is really into god, i guess i just find it humorous that its (from my vantage point) religious motivation to isolate homosexuals from the scouts, given the...track record.

 

kind of like (any) president complaining about the debt.

Edited May 24, 2013 by aardvark baguette

[blessingx]

I believe I've only sent one raging hate mail letter to an organization in my life and that was to the BSA 6 or 7 or years ago when they solicited funds to protect themselves from those "attacking from outside" on this issue. Ugh. Anyway, made me embarrassed I was ever a Scout. I really didn't understand the resistance to progress (hell, acceptance) until the last year or so when the religious and financial integration with the LDS and Catholic churches showed up in a NYTIMES article. 1/3 of troops LDS affiliated for instance. Had no idea as my troop and those nearby were unaffiliated. How do you make independent choices when you're that tied to outside, possibly (likely) more conservative groups? Anyway, whoever did whatever to get everyone on board for this first step - great and thanks.

[swt61]

I believe the Catholic Church's problems with abuse stem more from insistence on celibacy and no marriage for priests than abusive priests

Steve, I'd love for my grandson to in any troop you lead.

 

I certainly agree that it's a large part of the issue. And in no way do I fault Catholics. I do fault many in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, but I do not consider those one and the same. 

 

That being said I would be disingenuous if I didn't admit my own views regarding the lgbt community is evolving.  Like most of us I am cursed by religious tenants, preconceived ideas and my own prejudices.  Like many here, I am fortunate in that I am open to hearing other points of view, and listening to them.  I don't mind if what I think or believe is challenged.

 

I am not a religious person, but in no way do I believe that I have all the answers, or that my view is the only valid view. I think that's about the most you can ask of anyone. Why do we need to have the exact same belief system to get along? Accepting people for their differences is truly the key to enlightenment.

 

Non belief in God is not equal to non belief in morality. I consider myself a moral person.

 

I also do not expect everyone to be as happy about this latest ruling. I understand the contradiction with many peoples religious teachings. I only hope that people will give this a chance. Hopefully many will come to understand that times change and religious ideas need to be able to change with the times. Just getting many to understand that homosexuality is not a contagious affliction would be a huge cause for celebration in my mind.

I am a romantic, but I'm also a realist. While I would love for great leaps and bounds in the acceptance of the LGBT community, I do not expect them, and am happy just to be moving in this direction.

 

So kudos to you for "evolving" Sir! 

Edited May 24, 2013 by swt61

[Absorbine_Sr]

With all of the states recently approving gay marriage and now the Boy Scouts making this change, the tide seems to be turning. In no way are we where we should be as a society, but we are slowly moving in the right direction it seems. The old ideas are hopefully dying off.

[robm321]

My view is simple. Sexual orientation should have no bearing on whether or not you are allowed to join the Boy Scouts. Sexual preference has no relevance.

I felt the same way about the whole military thing. There isn't a single persuasive argument against either situation.

[grawk]

I think the boy scouts should allow gays to lead and join.  I think it's their choice if they do or not, and since they don't, my kids haven't participated.  We went with 4H instead.

[blessingx]

Speaking of, was there any movement on atheists/agnostics/non-religious today?

[shellylh]

Can lesbians join?  Being a Girl Scout sucks. 

 

Kidding aside, it's about fucking time!

Edited May 24, 2013 by shellylh

[Grahame]

None Apparently

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/23/boy-scouts-to-allow-gay-members-but-ban-on-gay-and-atheist-leaders-continues/

 

What about Gay Atheists? or is that a Bridge Too Far?

[eggil]

Sexual orientation, or gender or race should not be an issue for anybody. About time.

For what I have seen, the more obsessed people are with abortion and gays, the more deviant they can be.

Now, I would love to see a woman as president or pope

[acidbasement]

About time. I hope the walls keep coming down in your country.

[Dusty Chalk]

I'm sorry to be Mr. Politically Incorrect Comedian, but the completely inappropriate jokey thought crossed my mind, and I had to share it with someone: 

 

Of course sexual predators are going to want to become scout leaders, how else are some of 'em going to get laid...

 

...and where else are they going to learn those bondage knots...

 

 

No, seriously, if you're friends with me on Facebook, then you know how important LGBT rights are to me, so you know that I am for any of this kind of progress.  And it's not like it was a whole lot of effort, if they were to ban 'em, they'd lose a lot of members.

 

Oh, Shelly, here's a fun factoid -- the only thing in the bible about gay and lesbians is that "a man shall not lie with a man as with a woman", so technically there's nothing in there about lesbians.  So the next time some Christian gives you crap about lesbians, just tell them "your god is alright with that".  I double-checked that with my LDS friend (since I'm not about to scower the bible myself), but feel free to double-check however you like.

[postjack]

This is definitely exciting. I'm a huge LGBT rights supporter, though it feels insane someone even has to support rights for another human being in this day and age. It is the great civil rights struggle of this era.

 

Quick example of the tide turning as the younger generation gets older. Not sure if any of you have seen it, but Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have a song and accompanying video out concerning gay rights. I'm not a big fan of their music (they have that "i'm gunna pop some tags" song, its pretty catchy). Anyway the video has gone pretty viral, and the stories go that at the shows, its the song everyone really loses their mind over, singing every world. Not the single, but the song about gay rights. The kids at the shows know every word and sing it all. Pretty amazing.

 

I have friends that are Ron Paul conservatives all the way over to damn near socialists, and one thing we all agree on is oppressing someone's rights because of their sexual preference is insanity. 

 

here's the song. Warning, the video is wired to tug your heart strings, and the music itself is kind of cheesy, but I love love love the message:

 

 

on a lighter note, here is a video from SNL last week, Xanax for Gay Weddings:

 

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/new-xanax/n37070/

Edited May 24, 2013 by postjack

[grawk]

the problem many people have is they associate all "deviant" lifestyles with pedophilia.  So because there were SO FUCKING MANY pedophiles in the priesthood and in scouting in the 50s-70s, people had a mental block to get over.

[blessingx]

Can lesbians join?  Being a Girl Scout sucks. 

Kidding aside, it's about fucking time!

Yea, but the Girl Scouts got this right. It's like when Jason Collins came out. Who did everyone interview right after? Martina Navratilova, who came out in what... 1881? C'mon guys keep up.

[agile_one]

Nice vids, Jack.