Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan My daughter was in swimming for years. Always had male coaches as did most of the other teams. Not every adult who volunteers to coach or mentor or run a church camp is a freak.
Originally Posted By barboy ///On outdoor overnighters there are adult leaders of both sexes/// SAWEEEEEET!! Talk about knocking on my neighbor's tent come 11 pm. ....might be time to conceive a son so later I can take Scout journeys into the high Sierra or Rocky Mountains.
Originally Posted By Tikiduck I wonder how Big Brothers and Big Sisters works. A long time ago, I gave some thought to volunteering, but being childless, decided against it. I think there are a lot of kind, single people who have much to offer, but due to the stigma, they shy away.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Barboy I'm here shaking my head at your posts. I can't decide if you're trolling or serious with the nonsense you write.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>At face value there is something very creepy about that, don't ya think? Unless I knew that daughterless dude had a bonafide/legitimate reason to coach teen girls I wouldn't allow my daughter anywhere near him.<< One difference between liberals and conservatives: Conservatives believe in, are terrified of, and feel they must take defensive measures against, the Boogeyman.
Originally Posted By EdisYoda From what I'm reading, it will still be up to each individual troop whether to allow gay members/leaders. It would just be BSA, INC (or whatever the lead entity is called) that would abolish the ban.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>Not every adult who volunteers to coach or mentor or run a church camp is a freak.<< Seriously. Can we put a stop to this nonsense right now? Not all situations where adults interact with children are analogous. Children interact with adults of a different gender and gay adults of the same gender everyday. They do it in schools, in volunteer organizations, in churches, etc. 99.99% of the time all is well and the adults aren't out molesting the kids. It's yet another one of those things that is so awful when it happens, that it makes headlines and people overreact and put into place all kinds of rules and protections. Of course, we'd love to think this is about protecting kids, but it's usually about protecting organizations from lawsuits. You're either the kind of person who goes through life fearing the boogeyman, or you're not. Yeah, something bad may happen. Odds are very much in your favor they won't. Relax. Take a chill pill. Put your gun away. Turn off Fox News. The big bad world isn't out to get you.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer Barboy, Being married does not necessarily immunize you against pedophilia, any more than being gay promotes it. Sexual orientation is not a predictor for child molestation. It's common for soccer teams to be coached by someone who isn't a parent, especially in the teenage years. You want a good coach that can teach the game and lead the team, and it is doubtful that a good coach is available in the pool of parents available on any given team. You seem to be assuming that every gay person is driven entirely by their libido, but that isn't the case.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Also, the conflation with pedophilia. I like men. I married one. I have no interest whatsoever in kids.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan I have been watching the FB comments on the Boy Scouts page regarding this announcement. There is a huge amount of anger and homophobic slurs on there, some from people actively involved in the program. Unbelievable stuff that pretty much violates all of the Scout Law: Trustworthy Loyal Helpful Friendly Courteous Kind Obedient Cheerful Thrifty Brave Clean Reverent Making homophobic slurs is, by definition, not clean. It isn't brave. It surely isn't cheerful, reverent, courteous, kind, friendly or helpful. It's just hateful. And yet, these same hateful chuckleheads think THEY would be a better example for youth? I beg to differ.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >> Also, the conflation with pedophilia. << Yes, this drives me crazy.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Children interact with adults of a different gender and gay adults of the same gender everyday. They do it in schools, in volunteer organizations, in churches, etc. 99.99% of the time all is well and the adults aren't out molesting the kids.<< Yep. I am old enough to remember the uproar over openly gay people being school teachers. And it turned out to be a non-issue in spite of the assurance from the hate filled that gay people would be predators.
Originally Posted By Tikiduck Equating gay, or single people with pedophilia is like equating gun owners to homicide. As usual, the very few make the majority look bad.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt “Equating gay, or single people with pedophilia is like equating gun owners to homicide. As usual, the very few make the majority look bad." Hmmm… not really. Pedophilia is generally described as a psychological disorder for a person who prefers child sexual partners and these people are frequently are not sexually oriented toward adults. The old stereotype that gay men are somehow a threat to male children is not true, thus there are no “few” to reflect poorly on the “majority”.
Originally Posted By Tikiduck Josh, my scout troop was sponsored by the Latter Day Saints. Nothing but good memories from those times.
Originally Posted By Tikiduck But Hans, the stereotype is there, and someone must have propagated it.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt It doesn't matter. What matters is that intelligent people know the difference and that groups like The Boy Scouts of America are moving forward despite the persistent stereotypes and as a people we're moving in the right direction on gay rights issues. As for gun owners and homicide, well we'll see how that evolves.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>the stereotype is there, and someone must have propagated it<< Yes. Bigots. Happily, the world is moving on without them over time.
