Straight answers to FAQ about scout participation in the San Francisco Pride Parade.

1. Are Boy Scouts allowed to participate?

Yes, everyone agrees that scouts, parents, leaders, former scouts and even employees are allowed to participate as private individuals.  Everyone also agrees that participants should be properly attired for a family friendly event.

2. Is the parade family friendly?

Yes, the part of the parade we are in is the Ally section. I attended last year and had a great time. I have no reservations about inviting young families or grandparents. Cub scouts and younger scouts should bring their families. Wait, on second thought, older scouts, leaders, parents and former scouts should also bring their families.

3. What other groups are in the parade?

The Girl Scouts had an official entry last year. So did Kaiser, Goggle, Facebook, and a whole lot of other mainstream businesses and organizations.

4. But the San Francisco Pride parade is so gay.

I can't believe you just said that. Oh you didn't. Well admit it, you were thinking it. You all know better then use "gay" as a synonym for "bad", and the parade doesn't have a sexual orientation, so I can only assume that you mean "gay" as a synonym for "fabulous" and yes, it is.

5. If I march in the parade will that make me gay?

No, it doesn't work that way.

6. If I march in the parade will my friends think I'm gay, tease me mercilessly, call me names, exclude me, and ruin my life.

Maybe. (I really, really wish I had a different answer, but I don't know who your friends are.)

7. Is it brave to march in the parade?

Yes.

8. Is marching in the parade the right thing to do?

I think so, standing up for equality is important to me. We need to let LGBT youth know that we support them even if we don't know who they are. We need to let them know that they will be safe and welcome in our troops. We need to let them know that they are a valued and treasured part of our communities.

9. Are we marching to protest the Boy Scout's National Executive Board's homophobic and bigoted policy to exclude gay adults?

No, we are marching to celebrate scouting and let the LGBT community know that we as members of the Boy Scouts want to welcome them and support their inclusion. Everything about our entry is going to be positive and support the great scouting programs we are running. (The fact that some people will see this as a protest is more like icing on the cake.)

10. Should I wear my uniform?

And that's where the disagreements start to get heated. (OK, maybe they actually started with some of my phrasing in question #9.) I definitely don't have a straight answer, so this will be the subject of some discussion and analysis over the next couple of weeks.

If you don't have a uniform you might want to get a cool "Scouts for Equality" t-shirt.

http://store.scoutsforequality.com/