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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFreeper heads explode in three, two, one.....
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/28/boy-scouts-gay-united-way/1870919/
Boy Scouts may soon welcome gay youths, leaders
As early as next week, the Boy Scouts of America may announce it will allow gay Scouts and troop leaders, a spokesman for the group has told USA TODAY.
If this policy shift is approved by the national board meeting next week, it will be a sharp reversal of the Scouts' decades' old national policy banning homosexuals.
More at link
richmwill
(1,326 posts)For the predictable whining of "What happened to my country? It isn't America anymore. America died today..." wah wah wahhhh.
Still Sensible
(2,870 posts)to brighten my day....
Jeff In Milwaukee
(13,992 posts)Teh stupid....it burns
libodem
(19,288 posts)Now, they won't have to join the girl scouts?
GodlessBiker
(6,314 posts)Happyhippychick
(8,379 posts)Happyhippychick
(8,379 posts)progressoid
(49,990 posts)I should not have clicked on that link.
Politicalboi
(15,189 posts)Closet cases over there.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Conservative Cavers...though their numbers are fewer, they give Freeperdom a run for their money.
It is amazing to me how much collective time is spent talking about acts that purportedly disgust them.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)is about two guys living in a box? Classy.
Lady Freedom Returns
(14,120 posts)to go along with all that whine!
Bigmack
(8,020 posts)... an angel gets his wings!
dballance
(5,756 posts)They're already declaring armageddon once again.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2274016
Swede Atlanta
(3,596 posts)I have, quite honestly, been surprised at how quickly the acceptance and "normalization" of LGBT persons has been.
We have seen public opinion move significantly and quickly in the right direction on this issue. I think that is because more individuals have been willing to be themselves and as people see that LGBT persons are no different from themselves, want the same basic things out of life and aren't all about "sex", the fears the religious right have fed them fade away.
It does not serve the BSA to deny a young homosexual boy the benefits and opportunities of scouting because of his orientation. It does not benefit the BSA to deny scouting the compassion and skill of LGBT leaders.
Of course membership and leaders must be held to ethical standards such as no leader-member involvement, etc. But that is true in any organization.
The Freepers seem to believe that there is a horde or pedophiles that are just waiting to apply as leaders in the BSA so they can molest young boys. How stupid and uninformed is that.
Curmudgeoness
(18,219 posts)But I will admit that it has snowballed over the past few years.
I can remember having gay friends back into the 70's who were fighting for rights and acceptance. It has been a couple of generations of fighting to get to where they are now. Obviously, there is still a ways to go, but it is becoming much more accepted by more people these days. There will always be the haters though....always.
Downtown Hound
(12,618 posts)It's not like there's anything in them, so it should be a pretty clean explosion and easy to clean up.
Lady Freedom Returns
(14,120 posts)humbled_opinion
(4,423 posts)bear with me... Does this apply to scout leaders?
because I thought boy scouts were on the young side i.e. pre-teen, but maybe that is cub scouts I really don't know but, I would hope that at that age the children aren't in any position to decide if they are straight or gay, I just mean that isn't there a certain maturity level before you can absolutely ascertain your sexual preference, experimentation is part of maturity but not a real rationale to subscribe to a preference ...
or am I all screwed up here?
Politicalboi
(15,189 posts)The opposite sex? Now you have the time limit for gay kids. It doesn't take being an adult to know you are gay.
Curmudgeoness
(18,219 posts)One of the issues that a lot of attention was a boy who was they refused to give the Eagle Scout ranking after he had done all the work, just because he was gay. Eagle Scouts are not little boys, they are teens.
This is huge!
Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)Hawaiianlight
(63 posts)That explains the popping sounds I keep hearing.
Hekate
(90,683 posts)And also apparently because pretending there was no problem worked so well -- i.e. they kept files on "problem priests -er- Scoutmasters" but never prosecuted them.
This will be a most welcome change. I'm proud to say that while my brother in law was a Scoutmaster in Massachusetts, he and his troop flew a rainbow flag at the Jamboree (or whatever that big shindig is). That was back when the controversy was boiling, and he would not back down.
Initech
(100,075 posts)pasto76
(1,589 posts)glad, however, that they will 'officially' stop teaching hate to youngsters. Musta seen some writing on the wall made them think they would lose their federal funding...
krispos42
(49,445 posts)I've been wanting to sign my son up, but I've been leery; I don't know if the local council is anti-gay, and even if they aren't, the governing organization is.
A reversal would really let me breathe easier on this. Before my kid gets too old!
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)Just another thing to whine about, and predict doom over.