Conservative Groups Praise Boy Scouts’ Decision to Continue Policy
In the face of staunch criticism from the opposition, some traditional values organizations have applauded the recent decision of the Boy Scouts of America to stand firm on its policy of not allowing homosexuals to participate as leaders or members.
Following a two-year review, begun in 2010, the BSA, through an 11-member special committee, reaffirmed its policy on its membership standards. In a statement released by the organization’s National Executive Board, the BSA stated, “While not all board members may personally agree with this policy, and may choose a different direction for their own organizations, BSA leadership agrees this is the best policy for the organization and supports it for the BSA.”
Retired Gen. William G. Boykin, the newly installed executive vice president of the Family Research Council, praised the Boy Scouts of America’s announcement.
“I think that we all should be applauding the Boy Scouts and the leadership for the decision that they have made, particularly given the fact that other similar organizations have not stood firm in terms of their traditional values on this thing,” Boykin told CNSNews.com.
The decision brought similar reaction from the Concerned Women for Americans.
“Our group strongly supports the rights of the Boy Scouts of America to set policy for their own organization,” CWA President Penny Nance told OneNewsNow.com. “They have made the determination that it’s best for their organization and for the kids involved to exclude homosexual leaders, and we believe they have both the legal right and the moral right to make that decision.”
In June 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled by a 5-4 vote to overturn a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling that the dismissal of a gay Scout leader had been illegal under the state’s anti-discrimination law.
“A large proportion, if not the majority of Scout troops, are chartered by Catholic, Evangelical, Protestant and Mormon churches, all of which teach that homosexuality is incompatible with God’s plan,” senior vice president of the Family Research Council Rob Schwarzwalder told OneNewsNow. “As a result, many of those churches, if not virtually all of them, would disenfranchise the Scout troops in their facilities.”
The Boy Scouts of America Oath reads: “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.”
The Boy Scouts also do not allow atheists or agnostics to participate in their organization.
In a recent release, the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers has called for an end to federal support for the Boy Scouts of America. The Boy Scouts of America holds a Congressional Charter, as does the Girl Scouts of the United States of America.
