The boys in my troop are lots of things. They are exuberant, they are boisterous, they are humorous, and occasionally they are even annoying. But they are not, and will never be, pawns to be sacrificed to any "greater" cause.
There are those who say that the current resolution before the Boy Scouts of America should be rejected, that it doesn't go far enough, that it sends an unacceptable message to gay youth that something is wrong with them, and that it is an insult to LGBT people everywhere. They say that passing this resolution will delay real meaningful change.
I agree with most of these arguments, I agree that a better resolution would be preferable.
There are those on the other side who say all sorts of things about "politics" and the "safety of the scouts" and Christian morals. Most of their arguments make me cringe and don't match my beliefs.
To everyone I say we need to do what is best for the youth we serve.
- It is not in the best interests of any gay scouts to make them hide in the closet.
- It is not in the best interests of any scouts to have a policy that will expel them because someone asserts that they are an open and avowed homosexual.
- It is not in the best interests of the scouts to expel their friends because of their sexual orientation.
- The current policy puts boys that are gay or perceived as gay at risk because they can not safely report hazing or bullying without risking expulsion.
- The current policy provides a significant and unacceptable risk related to sexual abuse and its reporting. Sexual predators may use this policy against Scouts, seeing the policy as providing opportunity and convincing Scouts that they will be expelled if they report abuse.
I think we need to support this resolution and do everything in our power to see that it passes. If a better resolution comes along we can support that too.
I think we always need to put the youth first.
Yours in Scouting
Wendell Baker
Scoutmaster - Troop 234
