Analysis Of Boys Scouts Should Not Backtrack On Its Values By Mathew Staver

On June 28, 2000, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 ruling that the Boy Scouts of America could prohibit gay men and boys from gaining membership. This case came about when James Dale, assistant Scoutmaster to Troop 73 of New Jersey, was notified that his adult membership to the Boys Scouts of America was revoked based on the fact that his sexual orientation was viewed as inconsistent with the Boy Scouts of America’s values by Monmouth Council Executive, James Kay.

The BSA claimed that it was a private organization, and, as such, had the right to deny membership to those individuals not meeting its standards for admittance. BSA pointed to a 1978 Policy Statement that was the first official stance taken on the issue of homosexuality by the BSA. In this statement, the BSA disallowed homosexuals the ability to hold leadership positions in Scout troops. The BSA claimed protection under Hurley, citing that case's relevance in matters where private organizations are involved (Superior). The court ruled in favor of the BSA, stating that the BSA was not a place of public accommodation, but instead was a private, expressive organization, with the right to exclude members who stand for beliefs contrary to the essential goal of the BSA. The decision stated:

Lately, there has been an outbreak of people of the LGBT community coming out in the military. Historically the United States has had a policy of discharging gays in the military. There has been an act called the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, it is basically saying that as long as somebody does not ask about your gender preferences, you do not have to tell. Even though the ban has been lifted, many militaries still say they cannot accept anyone from the LGBT inside. They do not care about how well you can perform or your strengths and that mindset is going to come back and hit them in the long run. Militaries that are judging these kids are taking them away from somewhere they feel safe and a place where they can finally belong. Members of the LGBT community find refuge in the military. It was one of the only places where they can prove their worth, where people aren’t focusing on their sexuality. They shouldn’t be judged based on their sexual preferences. Instead, they should be judged on their personality, performance, and their ability to get the job done precisely and correctly.

The ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy is a major policy of the armed forces of the United States, and allows a number of people to serve their country. This policy restricts the United States armed forces from discovering gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. The ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy has, in a way, limited homosexuals from completely fulfilling their military duties by forcing them to serve in the military silent about their personal lives. The policy is a violation of equal rights, forces homosexuals to violate the military code of honor, and causes disputes among fellow soldiers and should be repealed.

In 1990, an assistant scoutmaster was found out to be gay and was expelled from the Scouts as consequence. This went to the courts with the final verdict being that the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) had the right to expel James Dale, the scoutmaster in question. This has been seen as the BSA having a discriminatory policy of admittance into the Scouts.

the way that Boo Radley is locked up in his house and kept away from

Although the Boy Scouts of Americas laws and oaths do not happen to say anything regarding a members sexuality,

My interests in school are mainly science and history. I have many interest outside of school like welding, and build things out of metal for people. I like to hunt, fish,and being outdoors in nature. My hobbies include being in Boy Scouts, playing sports like Football, Baseball for my school. I also participate in ag Mechanics, and I shoot Air rifle competitively and I have gone and won State, and competed in the National competition.

In 1993 President Bill Clinton signed a law that set the policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue, and don’t harass” when dealing with homosexuals serving in the Armed Services. The policy was a compromise to allow homosexuals to legally serve in the military as long as they did not declare their lifestyle or engage in conduct that was in violation of military good order and discipline. Supporters viewed the law as a step forward in achieving equal rights for homosexuals. Opponents remained concerned that the policy could jeopardize morale and unit effectiveness. “The Joint Chiefs, including the chairman, had all came out against the president on gays serving in the military” (Gates 440). Over time the military was able to adapt to the new policy and restore force readiness. In 2010 the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was repealed and homosexuals were given the opportunity to openly serve in the military. The Joint Chiefs once again objected and questioned the timing of the change. Many believe the repeal was politically motivated and a bad idea that would add additional disruption to an already strained fighting force.

One would be un-American if they believe in not allowing homosexuals to join the Boy Scouts of America. Effectively on 1 January 2014 ends a one hundred year old ban on allowing openly homosexuals to join the Boy Scouts of America, which is causing a lot of ruckus within the Boy Scout community. That being the case, some of the older generation Boy Scouts are resigning from the scouts and others are accepting the newer generation with open arms. Since, society is changing and accepting the homosexual race, so should the Boy Scouts of America, basing it on the separation of church and state, it’s racist and equal rights.

In the world that we live in today, social justice plays a huge role in the decisions, laws, and actions that people, and the government make. I think it is time to ask ourselves, have we gone too far? We are all familiar with the Boy Scouts of America. They're a wonderful organization that help boys turn into capable men. The Boy Scouts have a law; A scout is "Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent." In other words, a Scout a good citizen, plain and simple. On May 3rd, 2018 the Boy Scouts of America made the announcement that girls will be welcomed into their boy scout program next February. The name, to appeal more to both genders will be changed to Scouts BSA. The girl

Facts of the case: In 1978, James Dale joined Monmouth Council Cub Scout Pack 142. He continued participating in the Scout program, eventually attaining the rank of Eagle Scout in 1988. After Dale turned 18, he applied for and was accepted to the appointment of Assistant Scoutmaster to Troop 73. In 1989, Dale began attending College at Rutgers University. After coming out as gay, he became very involved in the local LGBT community; utilizing his position as co-president of the Rutgers Lesbian/Gay Alliance to raise awareness about issues affecting LGBT youth. After his opinions were published in a local newspaper in July of 1990, Dale was dismissed from the Scouts. Monmouth

Boy Scouts of America: I have been involved with the scouting program since I was six years old, and continue to be actively involved. I currently working to the rank of Eagle Scout. I am currently the Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) of my troop, which includes running the weekly meetings, sending and creating the weekly agenda, updating our Troop website, and help plan Troop outings. On average I spend roughly 5 hours a week with doing activities that are involved with Boy Scouts.

In a world far far away there was a boy in desperate need of some after school activities. This boy went by the name of Cameron. His journey of finding fun began when he switched schools for the fourth time in four years. Cameron changed schools so much it became hard for him to make any real friends, until one day he almost gave up hope and there he was. The hero spoke with a stern voice reminiscing about the glorious adventures and journeys he had had. Then Cameron walked up he stopped and gazed upon the man and the man asked the lad would he like to have adventures, life full filling quests, and make lots of new friends in the process. The young fellow asked the hero what he meant and the ecstatic man shouts out “The Boy Scouts of America!”

Secondly, some of the time I spent in Boy Scouts, while working to earn my Eagle Scout rank, served to simultaneously strengthen both my faith and my sense of morality. Although, Boy Scouts is mindful not to advance any religious beliefs onto anyone, the organization does provide, for those who wish to practice their faith, opportunities to do so within scouting. For example, Boy Scouts offers a Duty to God program where upon completion I earned a patch recognizing that I had worked to further strengthen my faith. In addition, while quite a bit of influence from Christianity can be observed in some elements of Boy Scouts, such as in the Scout Oath with doing one’s duty to God and the Scout Law with a scout always being reverent, Boy Scouts