BSA - BS

I’m heading to Chicago tomorrow to attend the Annual Metals Industry BSA Dinner in Chicago. That’s right, BSA stands for Boy Scouts of America. I feel a lot of personal guilt about attending this event. I was personally invited to the dinner and, being a good employee I told my boss about it and also explained my reasons for not wanting to go. He though has heard of this event and has been curious and anxious to get someone to it. I’m the obvious choice since I’m so close. At any rate, I get a free trip to Chicago and get to hang out with Laura again. I just wish that I didn’t have to help the scouts in the process. Most of you will understand my contempt for the BSA but for those of you who may not, an explanation:

It is the policy of the Boy Scouts of America to refuse registration to, or remove openly gay scouts and leaders. They also refuse the children of gay parents. There is very little need for proof. In the past, they have acted on gossip, and have even carried out investigations. In defending their discriminatory policies the BSA’s leaders often quote the scout oath and law which say, “to keep myself morally straight” and, “A scout is clean.” They also indicate their support for “traditional family values” without ever saying what those might be. Statements such as these seem to imply that gay people have no morals or family values and they say explicitly that a gay person is unclean in either a physical, mental or spiritual sense. For these reasons, I am stridently against the Boy Scouts of America. To suggest that every gay person is alike is asinine and offensive.

In 2000, the Supreme Court upheld that the Boy Scouts are a private organization and, as such, are free to associate themselves with whomever they may choose – or not. The problem for them now is that, as a private organization, free to discriminate, they are no longer able to receive public funds. The choice then became, “Do we want to have money to fund our programs and help our kids or do we want to discriminate?” They chose discrimination.

This has been my little way of making amends. I really hate that in this particular instance I have to put work before scruples and money before principles. By voicing my opinion here and perhaps elsewhere, I’m trying to undo the little bit of help my presence will do them. I hope that you all, if presented with the option of supporting a discriminatory group, opt out.

Now, a picture of some straight scouts: