Will the Boy Scouts join the 21st century?
THE GUERRILLA ANGEL REPORT — While there has been no official word from the Boy Scouts of America, NBC’s sources say a vote is scheduled soon within the organization and it is likely to pass. There is no information on whether or not this includes transgender scouts or volunteers.
If this is true, it would be a dramatic about-face for the organization which merely six months ago reaffirmed their long time ban on gay and transgender scouts. Since that reaffirmation, UPS, the Merck Foundation and Intel dropped their funding of the Boy Scouts. In addition, the courts ordered the scouts to release their “perversion files” — a 20-year record of suspected child molesters from within the BSA not shown to anyone outside the organization.
I wrote about both of these recent developments here: http://lexiecannes.wordpress.com/?s=boy+scouts
I will post updated news links in the comments section while we’re waiting for the official word.
Stay tuned.
Will the Boy Scouts join the 21st century?
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Filed under: Discrimination, Equality, Civil Rights, Transgender, Transsexual, Trans, boy scouts, child molesters, perversion files
So do they have a specific written policy on trans scouts? Do we have any specific known examples of a trans kid trying to get into the BSA?
More info from NBC: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/28/16739587-boy-scouts-close-to-ending-ban-on-gay-members-leaders?lite
One source notes concern that Gender Identity may not be included:
http://www.examiner.com/article/boy-scouts-may-lift-gay-ban-but-transgender-youth-left-out-of-the-conversation
Quote:
“If adopted, the revised policy would no longer harbor anti-gay discrimination as part of the Boy Scouts of America’s national governance, but would obviously allow local chapters to include or exclude membership on the basis of sexual orientation at their discretion. While change at the national level is undoubtedly “a step in the right direction” as Scouts for Equality founder Zach Wahls states, gay scouts and leaders who continue to suffer discrimination at the local level will still be left with no recourse, as the BSA’s national body has no intention of intervening under such circumstances. Additionally, transgender and transsexual men and youth have once again been left out of the conversation all together, as the revision only addresses discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, not gender identity.
Transsexual men and youth who have undergone sex reassignment surgery (SRS), including (but not limited to) hormone replacement therapy, hysterectomy and genital reconstruction (phalloplasty) could still be discriminated against at the national and local level if their surgical status is disclosed or discovered. Transgender men and youth who have not undergone SRS may also be rejected by the Boy Scouts due to the fact that their gender presentation does not conform to their anatomical sex. In order for the Boy Scouts of America’s national body to be truly inclusive and for local chapters to begin to follow suit, it is vital that non-discrimination on the basis of transgender and transsexual identity be expressly stated.”
Same crap, different name! They are only going this far to appease the sponsors. Nothing will change till the BSA tells the troops that discrimination is NOT allowed across the board!
Yes, but this will let people affected by the ban go after local groups, WITHOUT the backing of the national level powerhouses…
Trust me, there will be VERY few local groups with the balls to stand up to the LGBT groups, without their own “reinforcements.”
And maybe there will be ADDED groups in the BSA, specifically to get around one pissy local group.
Here’s a statement from the Boy Scout organization:
http://www.glaad.org/blog/breaking-boy-scouts-america-looks-toward-equality-considers-lifting-ban
BSA spokesperson Deron Smith released the following statement announcing the potential policy change:
For more than 100 years, Scouting’s focus has been on working together to deliver the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. Scouting has always been in an ongoing dialogue with the Scouting family to determine what is in the best interest of the organization and the young people we serve.
Currently, the BSA is discussing potentially removing the national membership restriction regarding sexual orientation. This would mean there would no longer be any national policy regarding sexual orientation, and the chartered organizations that oversee and deliver Scouting would accept membership and select leaders consistent with each organization’s mission, principles, or religious beliefs. BSA members and parents would be able to choose a local unit that best meets the needs of their families.
The policy change under discussion would allow the religious, civic, or educational organizations that oversee and deliver Scouting to determine how to address this issue. The Boy Scouts would not, under any circumstances, dictate a position to units, members, or parents. Under this proposed policy, the BSA would not require any chartered organization to act in ways inconsistent with that organization’s mission, principles, or religious beliefs.