5. Recommendations
Given that the national board may evolve their view on this matter, our committee does not elieve that the MDSC board should vote on the current proposed changes to national BSA's membership standard. Rather we believe the MDSC board should vote to support a set of principles that represent the views of the majority of our members. Further, we believe our board should vote to advocate for these principles. Finally we believe our board should vote to encourage our national board representatives to vote in a manner consistent with these principles.
5.1 Membership Standard Principles that represent the majority opinion of the MDSC
Given the work of the committee, the findings from our survey, and our debates and discussions, we recommend the adoption of the following principles:
A. Scouts and Scouters should be judged by their conduct, their actions, and their
character, consistent with the Scout Oath and Scout Law, not by stereotypes or group related prejudices.
B. The Scout Oath and the Scout Law are foundational ideas that every person should be exposed to so that all people can benefit from the Scouting movement's principles, ideals, and values.
C. Regardless of sexual orientation, sexual topics and conduct, which include pointing out another individual's sexual orientation, are not part of the Scouting movement and should not be tolerated. Further, the Scouting movement should not permit its organization to be used as a vehicle to promote any personal, political, social or other objective that is inconsistent with the Scout Oath and Scout Law.
D. The results of the MDSC Membership Standards Survey and the discussions of our committee have reaffirmed the role that the Scouting Movement has had and can continue to have in shaping the lives and values of young people. However the current BSA membership policy clearly excludes an entire group based on a presumption of behavior rather than on the actions of individuals. Excluding an entire group of people based on stereotypes and prejudices is inconsistent with the Scout Oath and Scout Law. The current membership policy is of deep concern to many in the Mt. Diablo Silverado Council for its potential to undermine the future vitality of the Scouting movement.
E. Chartered Organizations have always and will continue to create Scouting Units that are consistent with their organizational faiths, standards and deeply held beliefs. However, we believe that the national BSA board should not pass this important decision from BSA's governing body to Chartered Organizations. Rather, we believe that the national board should adopt a standard policy, consistent with the Scout Oath, Scout Law, and the principles documented within this report, which ends the isolation and exclusion of LGBT individuals.
5.2 Motion to support the principles defined in section 5.1 above and which represent the majority opinion of our members.
The board of the Mt. Diablo Silverado Council approves the membership principles, as defined by the MDSC National Membership Standards Review Committee in their report of findings submitted to the MDSC board on March 16, 2013.
5.3 Motion to advocate for these principles.
The board of the Mt. Diablo Silverado Council authorizes its Scout Executive, its President and its Executive Committee to advocate for these principles.
5.4 Motion to encourage our national board representatives to vote in a manner consistent with these principles.
In recognition that the National Board of the Boy Scouts of America may vote on one or more items related to its membership standards, the MDSC board instructs its National representative to tender their votes in a manner consistent with the principles stated within this report
