The decision to lift the ban on gay youth in the boy scouts has me thinking and I think it should have everybody thinking. Openly gay youth can now be in the boy scouts, however it’s not the same for adults. I personally feel that they only lifted the ban on youth to please the media and get people off their backs. Their stance has been made clear numerous times and I don’t see them actually having a change of heart. If they did and they were going to ACCEPT LGBT youth they would have also lifted the ban on the adults.
Honestly I don’t find this to be a move towards equality, but a way to keep the issue at a stand still. I can see the openly gay kids still getting kicked out but with a different reason. They’ll be walking on thin ice and will mess up once before being removed. You can lift a ban as a whole but as long as you keep the same homophobic leaders you will get the same homophobic results.
Certain Troop Leaders have announced that they will be removing their children from the scouts because they fear for their safety. Ultimately the hatred will now be swept under a carpet and everything will be handled behind the scenes. Excuses like “So and so is a danger” “So and so is not doing this” when in reality it’s still simply being done because they want the gay kids out.
To the Boy Scouts of America:
I will continue to refuse any praise for your organization because I do not believe that you’re doing this for the right reasons. This was not done to take a step forward, but like I said, to keep things at a stand still. To keep the media from painting you as Evil. But seeing your past decisions to deny LGBT youth has me convinced you do not support but you will tolerate at most. Until you send a true message of equality and allow adults to participate regardless of orientation I will continue to protest. You must stand up for ALL of your scouts because so many of them are willing to stand for you. Support them and remove the leaders who have hatred in their hearts.
Your organization should make people feel safe and they should be beneficial to society, however your message and intentions are laced with hate. I hope to see you all in the future, joining together with ALL scouts and without discrimination. Only then will I say “I support you.”
~ James Carney
On a side note, this post is simply my opinion and I will not force my beliefs down anyone’s throat. I respect your opinion so respect mine. I am to a certain extent happy that they’ve lifted the ban, however I don’t see it to be an honest move to equality.