Boy Scouts Discrimination (beliefs, homosexuals, attending, America, atheist)

[nutshell]

No one seems to have a problem with the fact that the BOY Scouts don't allow girls in the group (there are some female leadership positions) so why is this any different? They have a set criteria they use to base membership on and stick with it. Why is it OK to exclude one group (girls), but not another such as homosexuals or atheists?

[MaddLlama]

Originally Posted by nutshell

No one seems to have a problem with the fact that the BOY Scouts don't allow girls in the group (there are some female leadership positions) so why is this any different? They have a set criteria they use to base membership on and stick with it. Why is it OK to exclude one group (girls), but not another such as homosexuals or atheists?

Because girls can join the GIRL Scouts. And the GIRL scouts don't seem to have a problem with lesbians, or atheists. Everyone would have the opportunity to be a scout of some kind if the BSA officials weren't bigoted.

And, for the record, the BSA does allow girls. It's called Venturing.

[Ryan2065]

Originally Posted by MaddLlama

Well, I'mm still with Maize on this one. I wouldn't want my children to be a part of an organization that spits on the values of acceptance and tolerance that I want to teach them.

Different values to your own does not equate to "spitting on". If they came out and said anyone who accepts homosexuals is a silly nilly then I would agree with you.

[MaddLlama]

Originally Posted by Ryan2065

Different values to your own does not equate to "spitting on". If they came out and said anyone who accepts homosexuals is a silly nilly then I would agree with you.

I think it does. And, it's not that thier values are simply different, but that by association they are teaching others that this is the correct way to be. The BSA is supposed to be an organizaion that helps children lead "upstanding" lives. Howevey, homosexuals can't be a part of that, because they apparently lack the ability to be upstanding citizens.

You know, if they would just come out and admit that they are a private religiously based organization that doesn't need public funding, I wouldn't be mad. I still wouldn't join, but I wouldn't despise the organization so much. But, they're not. They're using the tax money I pay every year to teach children that gay men are not able to be good citizens. Maybe the scout masters don't actually come out and say this, but by the policy saying that "being gay does not fit with being a scout", it is what they are teaching.

[Booko]

Originally Posted by Ryan2065

Well for one an eagle scout needs to do a scouting project that shows great community service. My project was collecting used eye glasses that I would give to the Lions Club who would distribute them out in South America to people who could not afford them. Also we would collect broken hearing aids and give those to the Lions Club who would give them to a local university that would repair them for free (the students did it) and then they would distribute them to the poor here in America. Most Eagle scout projects are like this and the eagle scout is required to completely cooridinate the whole project themselves (mommy and daddy cannot do it). I know a few people who reached the rank of Life scout but never completed their project by the time they were 18 so they did not recieve Eagle scout.

Master Gardeners and other environmentally concerned groups are linked in pretty well with Scouts in the area. We know of projects that need to be done to help the environment, and they have the boys looking to do the projects.

We've had Scouts work on projects to clean up invasive non-native plants in streams in the area and replace them with native plants, to build up structures for Schoolyard Wildlife Habitats, and to develop projects for other greenspace areas.

[Booko]

Originally Posted by nutshell

No one seems to have a problem with the fact that the BOY Scouts don't allow girls in the group (there are some female leadership positions) so why is this any different? They have a set criteria they use to base membership on and stick with it. Why is it OK to exclude one group (girls), but not another such as homosexuals or atheists?

I personally know a girl who was a Boy Scout, so this is debatable. She tried Girl Scouts, but she is much too outdoorsy for any of the local GS troops, so she tagged along with her brother and father to Boy Scouts and loved it.

[Booko]

Originally Posted by Ryan2065

Different values to your own does not equate to "spitting on". If they came out and said anyone who accepts homosexuals is a silly nilly then I would agree with you.

If they kick out a den master because he's gay (but chaste), then I'd call that "spitting on." This is especially so if the leader makes no references to his sexuality while with the scouts.

If the issue is the practice of sex, orientation shouldn't enter into it.

The current policy of BSA has problems, and I hope they eventually get over them.

GSA accepts *any girl* and their organization hasn't been harmed by that policy at all.

Of course, GSA safety standards are a lot stricter, so maybe that's a help.

[Booko]

Originally Posted by nutshell

No one seems to have a problem with the fact that the BOY Scouts don't allow girls in the group (there are some female leadership positions) so why is this any different? They have a set criteria they use to base membership on and stick with it. Why is it OK to exclude one group (girls), but not another such as homosexuals or atheists?

If you want to explore why it makes sense to have Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts as separate entities, start a new thread and I'll pop in.