Originally Posted By doombuggy <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.advocate.com/youth/2014/03/03/boy-scouts-upset-disney-move-pull-funds-over-antigay-policy">http://www.advocate.com/youth/...y-policy</a>
Originally Posted By EighthDwarf Good for Disney, not that they gave much more than a pittance anyway. The Boy Scouts' stance is perverse, implicitly equating homosexuality with pedophilia. I am involved quite heavily with the Boy Scouts, but our local troop has adopted the stance that we simply don't tolerate conversation regarding any sexual things among the boys and, to be honest, it is generally not an issue for the mostly 11-15 year olds. As for the adults, no one even gives it a second thought. There are policies in place that, if followed, protect the boys from pedophiles of any gender. That suffices for us and should for the national organization as well. Again, good for Disney.
Originally Posted By Donny A lot of my life skills I first learned in the scouts,I know I am a better person because I was and still am a scout.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<A lot of my life skills I first learned in the scouts,I know I am a better person because I was and still am a scout.>> Oh. I had no idea that BSA offered "Conceal & Carry" merit badges.
Originally Posted By fkurucz FWIW, I think BSA has run its course. Young kids today are not all that interested in BSA type activities, whether it be Pinewood Derby, Camping, Hiking, etc. They'd rather play with their XBoxes. Also, from what I have observed, BSA is turning into a Catholic and LDS "thing". I know that a lot of Fundies have turned their backs on BSA because they perceive it as "too inclusive" and not sufficiently "Christian" and now have their own replacement organizations, like the Royal Rangers. I think that BSA is no longer one of those common experiences that most boys shared. When I was a kid, all of my friends were cub scouts and we came from a diverse background: Catholics, Protestants, Non Christians, White, Asian, Hispanic, different economic backgrounds, etc. (to be fair, I grew up in SoCal, it might have been less diverse in say North Dakota). Today, if your boy is a cub scout, there is a very good chance he will be around kids who are just like him: same race, church, private school, economic class, etc.
Originally Posted By Donny I have two boys and one of them has continued with scouts and is going for his Eagle
Originally Posted By Castleowner77 Donny that is fantastic. I already know your boys are great kids. The scouts really help boys become strong men with values and integrity. If I get a kid who wants to work at my company and he tells me he was an Eagle scout, he goes to the front of the line.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >> I think BSA has run its course.<< I think it's an incredibly valuable program that needs to continue to evolve with the times. The half-measure of allowing gay youth but not gay scout leaders will eventually change as more and more corporate sponsors back away from funding, as Disney is about to. I am currently a Scoutmaster at a school for the blind. Our Scouts and Venture Crew receive some very cool experiences many would not experience without Scouting. The values and life skills taught in Scouting are pretty darn great overall. However, I do vehemently disagree with the ridiculous ban on gay troop leaders. I have wrestled much with whether to remain involved at times because of this policy, but given the unique troop I have, abandoning them would ultimately serve little purpose. Like most organizations that require membership, Scouts struggle with attracting new members (service clubs like Kiwanis and Rotary and others don't pull in the numbers back when we were a more "joining" society). I think the ban is unworkable for many reason, not just because of funding. Scouts visiting a military base could very likely be given a tour by a gay soldier. If the military can't discriminate, then the Scouts should follow their lead at the very least. Other outdoor offshoots have sprung up, and I expect, at first, more will. But how long would these groups really last -- a generation maybe? And can they offer a better program that Scouting? I doubt it.
Originally Posted By Castleowner77 Why do I know that nobody on here will tell the truth about this. The problem is that gay scout masters with little boys in the woods, in little tents and the shower is not a practice that can be accepted. I'm sorry if this outrages people who live full time in fantasy land, but there is no way a child should be put in this situation even if the vast majority of gay scout masters are safe. Bonus question - would it be cool to have a male scoutmaster shower and sleep in the same tent as girls? Keeping it real since 2004 on LP
Originally Posted By Castleowner77 One more thing - gays could set up " gay scouts " and have their own group that teaches the kids to do whatever it is that gays teach. But alas, the gay activist crowd has decided that it will attack an organization that was minding its own business for generations. They would rather destroy the group and put pressure on companies to boycott the group if that group does not submit to accepting gays as they demand. In a way, the gay activist groups are acting like Islamic extremists... "join us or be destroyed!". Perhaps this is why the gays don't attack Islam, even though Islam is anti gay all day long. The lack of tolerance from the gaystapo is shocking these days. These people have become what they used to hate.
Originally Posted By Tikiduck An openly gay scoutmaster would be under intense scrutiny, far more than any regular Joe. Odds are, your kid would be safer. Look at the individual, not the stereotype.
Originally Posted By Castleowner77 The gay guys I know can have my kids over anytime....But that is not the issue with the policy.
Originally Posted By utahjosh <The Boy Scouts' stance is perverse, implicitly equating homosexuality with pedophilia.> I don't think that is the case. Sure, some ignorant people think that's the reason. Others don't want homosexual men being mentors in their sons's lives.
Originally Posted By utahjosh <Young kids today are not all that interested in BSA type activities, whether it be Pinewood Derby, Camping, Hiking, etc. They'd rather play with their XBoxes. > All the more reason to support the BSA and encourage the scout traditions.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip The great majority of child molesters, (whether molesting boys or girls) is the married guy down the street who has two kids... not a gay guy.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>Today, if your boy is a cub scout, there is a very good chance he will be around kids who are just like him: same race, church, private school, economic class, etc.<< Hey, don't worry, now there's an even better alternative! Are you a scared white bigot who isn't too smart and hates people who aren't like you but call yourself a "Christian" anyway? Then TrailLife USA is for you! <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://gawker.com/christian-kids-are-ditching-boy-scouts-for-a-less-toler-1535295767">http://gawker.com/christian-ki...35295767</a> Ride horses dressed up as dinosaurs, just like Jesus did! Be surrounded by nature, where there might be fossils and plants that are almost 6,000 years old, just like the earth! Avoid Jews, Muslims, and Atheists like the plague (while praying for them to get the actual plague)! Leave your Band-aids and bug spray at home, we'll just pray the microbes away! Sit around a warm campfire to talk about how stupid everyone who doesn't believe like you is, while celebrating the glorious future return of a magical space being you can't see or hear! Learn valuable life skills, like how to use a level to affix anti-abortion bumper stickers so they won't be crooked! Study important texts (just kidding, it's only the Bible) to determine why dark skin makes you lazy and sinful! And don't worry, Trail Masters, you get your own tent for when you read Bible passages like, "Behold I come quickly" whilst rubbing your gun against your crotch, like all good conservative Christians.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>Others don't want homosexual men being mentors in their sons's lives.<< Funny, replace homosexual with Mormon and sons with daughters and you know how a lot of us feel.
