Boy Scouts Delays Discussion on Lifting Gay Ban
When I heard the Boy Scouts of America might lift its ban on gay and lesbian scouts and leaders, I was pleasantly surprised. I was hopeful. I even had a funny, positive spin to put on it. But once again (at least for the foreseeable future) the BSA has given LGBT Americans the salute they think we deserve:
Wow, outstanding! I really don’t have a stake in the BSA debate, but, just from a design standpoint, and sheer creativity standpoint, this is excellent.
Kudos. I stop by here often and I never comment, mostly because I have blog-envy.
Bill:
Thanks for your comment/compliments! My husband was a little leery of me giving the Boy Scouts the finger, so I reworded it to be on the receiving end. Either way, it was a little out there for me (on the blog at least) so I’m glad it was met with at least some appreciation. š
And thanks for stopping by and for (FINALLY!) commenting. š I’m heading over to your spot now…
You know, the BSA issue is a tough one. In the days of yesteryear, it stood for the values of the United States. But more recently, we found that it was discluding a good portion of the public – and so, it should change, especially since they’ve got weird links to the government. And I think their avoidance and dancing back and forth on the issue is making them look worse than if they’d just fall in one direction.
Good points, Zach. The BSA needs to decide who they want to be, and deal with the consequences. Time to sh*t or get off the latrine. š
Definitely—>Time for them to sh*t or get off the latrine.
That artwork is outstanding. I really don’t understand what is wrong with the BSA and why they care, but I don’t understand a lot of things so…
Thanks Jack!
I don’t understand either. I mean, I do because I used to be pretty homophobic, but we all gotta evolve eventually. The BSA is pretty entrenched, but surely not more than the US Military? š
DD
I find it amazing how a perverted life style, even though it is still exactly that…. If called normal long enough, there are those that will buy it… I would love to tell you what to do with your design and ideas about scouts…
Who gets to decide what is perverted in your worldview, Daddy Boy? Is it a biblical view or just your “gut” that drives you to judge others for feelings you can’t (presumably) imagine. Is it a particular religious law, social stigma or just a gut feeling that makes you proclaim the LGBT “perverted?”
I’m not gay. I am attracted to women and I can’t imagine my neighbor’s opinions or an ancient text would really do much to change that if I found myself born into a homonormative society. What do you think makes it different for gay people? Are you holding back strong gay urges because you believe it a sin or is it just easy to throw a stone at people who don’t feel the way you do?
Like caucasians picking on African Americans, like right handed kids picking on the left-handed kid, like the suburban child of two parents picking on a poor orphan for the circumstance they were born into; your stance is morally repugnant.
“Do a Good Turn Daily!” ~Boy Scout motto… what part of your recrimination was a good turn? Try again, keeping in mind your best turn would be to walk away.
Well, there *is* a First Amendment that includes the right to spew whatever hateful tripe you want, even if it exposes your ignorance. Not sure how “Daddy Boy Scout” contributes in a meaningful way to any organization that claims to benefit children and to help them mature … but hey, it’s the path you’ve chosen for now. Thank goodness that Brent and his family provide a strong and creative network that can bolster his son in ways that very likely you haven’t proven to possess the creative acumen to imagine. I’m sure if you were to encounter this network, the people in it would be happy to show you *exactly* what can be done with ideas and designs. Not sure you’d like it, but you’re the one who walked in here.
Daddy Boy Scout,
If you think it is so perverted than why are you here reading this blog? Please keep your negative comments to yourself as DD is a wonderful person, father and friend and that is more than can be said for you. The BSA should get with the times and stop flip flopping on this issue and if they are who they say they are then they should include all boys not be allowed to be selective. What if they were able to not allow someone because they were of a different religion or race? Would that be ok with you too?
You sound like a very angry person. I hope you can find a healthy way to deal with all the anger you have inside. It sounds toxic. Maybe instead of leaving a naive, hate filled comment on Brent’s blog, you should get to know Brent a little more. You might be surprised what a nice and not-perverted guy he is.
If you don’t want to get to know Brent, get to know any LGBT person. Seeing a face and not a label is an important first step that I hope you’ll consider taking. Personally, I’ve learned much more in my life by considering the possibility that I might be wrong about a subject than by insisting I was right. Good luck.
Daddy Boy Scout-
I find it amazing that you are so myopic to think being gay is perverted, or a life “style”. I WILL tell you what to do with your idiotic and chickensh@t opinion. You are what’s WRONG with the Scouts. You with your small minded bigotry and baseless fear. You with your homophobia and un-Scout like ideals. I hope I’m not the only one to tell you that and I’m sure I won’t be. In other words. STFU.
They’re a private institution, and as such are totally within their rights to set whatever norms/values they want. But if they don’t change with the times, they can’t be surprised if they fade into obscurity.
Empty pews in US Catholic churches are at record highs. The US Mormon church is seeing a tectonic exodus in membership. The only real shame here is that BSA used to stand for everything that was right, and as such the tapestry of American self-identity has become interwoven with BSA over the decades. This is why everyone feels like they should have a say over BSA policy. Frankly, they shouldn’t.
Adapt or die… unless you don’t like Darwin.
Very two-faced and typical that when someone disagrees with a homosexual lifestyle and comments on it they are verbally attacked in the way that gays have been in years past and didn’t like it very much. Shame on you for expecting expecting tolerance and compassion and ripping a new @ss to someone who disagrees with your life style. Not everyone has to hug and kiss everyone’s way of life. Hypocrites. I used to be so in favor of gays rights…then I got to know a few gays…not such nice , open minded people themselves. So now,I don’t give a crap.
Wait, so just because some people in a group were not nice to you, you are now against the whole group having the same rights as everyone else? Way to be.
How is voicing disgust at a backward opinion two-faced? and how is telling a guy who comes into an obviously supportive forum think he’ll be treated to come in with guns ablazin’? I’d say Daddy Boy got off pretty easy so far and nothing here approaches a “verbal attack” (though if it did, would still fall short of the physical/literal attack on the LGBT community by those who would deny them equal rights or bully them at every opportunity). By the way, did anyone here claim all gay people (not to mention the straight people who comment here) are nice? I didn’t and I can tell you not all are, though some are the nicest damn people you’ll ever meet (kind of like any group of humans there is a wide spectrum). Gays are not “all” anything other than gay, just like all people named Jenny aren’t all ignorant. Even in what you think is a clever retort you show your worldview for what it is, full of hatred and stereotypical judgement of others. If you don’t give a crap then go spend your time elsewhere.
And my point is proven. I have NO hate. I just don’t care any more if gays get married or not or if the BSA lets them in or not..etc…i see nothing but Me Me Me from the gay community. And if someone DARES to insinuate in any way that they may have some reservations or discomfort about the gay folks you all attack. Pounce. Destroy with your horrible hate filled speech. On every news story I read, all the ones I know, and have known and right here in this forum. Birds of a feather.
Jenny – i’m sorry that you don’t care anymore based on your experience of a few gay people. Yes, there are a number of us that are very selfish, right or wrong. The same can be said about straight people. Are Christians very selfish by saying we have dirty hands and cannot be let in to their church? Are the leaders of the boy scouts equally selfish in not allowing gay leaders? What’s the purpose of that? Likely because of the selfish desire to not allow young kids to see that there are positive gay role models out there because only straight people can be role models? There are so many examples of the straight world telling us “not you”, so excuse us if we feel the need to say “me me me!” I’m sure that as Brent and I raise our son and contribute to society, society will see that we do care about more than ourselves, but more importantly, our son will see that we are out there to protect our family. No one – I repeat NO ONE has a right to tell us we do not have a right to exist as the people we were born to be, or that we cannot be a family. What about that do you not understand? The one promise we have made to ourselves is to raise our son to know the difference between what is truly right or wrong. Maybe you and Daddy Boy Scout don’t want to understand the difference because you are caught up in your own selfishness. And do know there is no hatred in anything I say, but disappointment that there are folks like Daddy Boy Scout who feel that their opinion about us should be respected. No, it doesn’t deserve respect and it doesn’t deserve the time that I am spending to defend who we are, but defend we must, even if you think we only care of me me me. If someone were to tell you that you should not be who you are, well maybe you would care. Oh, and by the way, I’m not sure if you noticed, though maybe you don’t care either, but the majority of the responses were by our straight friends. And to each of them I say, thank you for your support. Maybe at some point in the future, we will not have to have these silly discussions any more and we will all be treated with dignity and respect. (And if I had a microphone, I would drop it now).
Amen Nick. What blows me away is that people who have faced inequality (both minorities AND women) don’t have an intrinsic sense of right and wrong or their place in history and the parallel here. One day these fools will look back and realize how jaded and misguided they are. I truly believe that. My wife and I raise our children to look and learn with love and compassion for ALL people…even the haters. To hate a hater makes you just as bad. When I encounter these people I just shake my head and say “praying for you to see the light.” A right wing Catholic conservative friend of mine was horrifically homophobic. She was not aware that my dad was gay or that he had a partner for years. It was a process, but she finally “got it” and allowed love and acceptance into her heart. I have hope. Look at the balance of light/dark in this thread š
Word.
Brent, Sounds like you have a pretty awesome husband there. Bravo fellas.
[…] very closely. I was excited by the initial prospect of the BSA opening their membership, and later, angrily duped by their […]