United Church of Christ Leadership Speaks Out for More Inclusive Boy Scouts

The Boy Scouts of America are currently considering whether or not to soften their ban on gay scouts and leaders. This proposed policy would allow local Boy Scout troops to welcome gay and lesbian scouts and leaders. But it would also allow other troops to keep the ban. This would prevent the Scouts from kicking out gay Scouts. And it would allow troops the option of keeping involved parents who also happen to be gay or lesbian to be involved with their son's Boy Scout troop. If enacted, it seems like a reasonable compromise to me.

Anyway, you may or may not know that this past Sunday (February 3rd) was National Scout Sunday. The leadership of my denomination, the United Church of Christ, published a bunch of material encouraging its membership to speak out in support of the BSA Policy Change:

Although media stories have only represented the faith voice that opposes this action, for decades there have been hundreds of United Church of Christ congregations, as well as other welcoming and inclusive faith communities urging the BSA to eliminate discrimination in the Boy Scouts of America. We are calling on the BSA leadership to take advantage of this opportunity to make it happen now. Several churches—churches that affirm and welcome LGBT Christians into their fellowship—have either lost their scout troops or they are unwilling to sponsor troops because of the exclusionary policy of the BSA and with this policy change, they will have the opportunity to rejoin the BSA. 

 

While every scouting program should be inclusive and welcoming to all, it is important to note that the policy change under consideration will give local scouting organizations the freedom to choose, creating a patch work of welcoming and not welcoming scout organization. Nevertheless, the policy change under consideration is an important step to full inclusion. Welcoming gay and bisexual scouts and scout leaders is way overdue and the BSA National Council should waste no time to change their policy and open the door to non-discrimination...

 

For many years, hundreds of UCC congregations and various other faith communities have protested the BSA’s policy of exclusion, calling on the BSA to lift the ban and welcome gay youth and gay adults into the scouting programs. Some troops joined an alternative program, “Scouting for All” which welcomes gay youth and gay adult leaders in their scouting programs. This is an important development not only for the BSA but also for the thousands of boys who have been excluded from scouting programs because of their sexual orientation.

 

Rev. Michael Schuenemeyer, Executive
Office for Health and Wholeness Advocacy

 

Andy Lang, Executive Director
United Church of Christ Coalition for LGBT Concerns