Just when you thought a Boy Scout troop had come to its senses and stopped discriminating against gay people, it reverted back to its discriminatory ways.
In September, Maryland’s Pack 442 voted for and adopted a non-discrimination policy, one that would welcome gay scouts:
Soon after the policy was adopted, the National Capital Area Council (a Boy Scouts of America local council) came after the group:
Les Baron, CEO and Scout Executive of NCAC, confirms to Mother Jones that if the pack doesn’t erase the declaration, “they will not be recognized as an organization, although that’s our last resort.” That means that the troop will lose access to member insurance, rank badges, and scout camps. The only problem with the statement, Baron acknowledges, is the reference to sexual orientation. “That’s a message that’s against our policy, and we don’t want it continue to be out in our community,” Baron says.
So what did Pack 442 do?
They caved in so they could keep their charter:
Due to pressure from the National Capital Area Council of BSA, Pack 442 was forced to remove its Non-Discrimination statement in order to keep our Charter (set to expire Jan 31st). This Non-Discrimination statement, previously posted here, welcomed ALL families.
A bit passive-aggressive, perhaps, but the outcome is still the same, right? Gay scouts will not be welcome in the BSA chapter.
Well, maybe not.
The group has a poll on its site asking member families to vote on whether they want to keep the old policy and become an independent scouting group (losing their BSA charter in the process) or return to a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
I hope the former option prevails and sends a message to the BSA: If you continue to ban people from your ranks because of their sexual orientation, we want nothing to do with you.
(Thanks to Luther for the link)