Time to Walk away from the Boy Scouts

It is difficult to understand how anyone is still able to rationalize supporting the Boy Scouts of America. It must have to do with the fact being a “Boy Scout” is ingrained in the American lexicon as being honest, fair, trustworthy and all things good. Apparently, it is hard to discard such strong images despite irrefutable evidence the national Boy Scout organization is anything but those things.

Timeless Values Besmirched?

It is time, once and for all, for parents, churches, community groups and supporters of the national Boy Scouts to cease supporting the discriminatory and often backwards policies and practices of the national Boy Scout organization.

The Boy Scouts of America has for years unashamedly prevented gay and lesbian adults from participating as scout leaders and parent advisors. They have relentlessly fought to remove capable, trusted people who are fully committed to the principles espoused in the Boy Scout handbook from being involved in adult leadership roles based on a bigoted belief sexual orientation qualifies some and disqualifies others. And, the Boy Scouts’ discriminatory practice doesn't stop at adults. Just this month a model Boy Scout in California was denied the organization’s top award of Eagle Scout simply because he was gay.

Now comes another bizarre twist to the Boy Scout saga. Yesterday a court in Oregon ordered the release of decades of documents compiled by the Boy Scouts dubbed the perversion files. In numerous instances child molesters were kept hidden from law enforcement with no regard for their victims. Some of these deviants were chased from Boy Scout positions. Many were not. Most important, the Boy Scouts helped ensure few offenders ever faced justice for their crimes against children. All of this was done to protect the Boy Scout organization’s image, not the rights of the children they supposedly were there to serve.

Many boys have become upstanding men with the help of their Boy Scout experience. The Boy Scout credo, their leaders, fellow Scouts and lessons learned scouting have served them well. It would be a shame to entirely scrap what remains a wholesome and positive force in thousands of people’s lives. Many parents and community organizations supporting local Boy Scout troops say they disagree with the national organization’s behavior. They insist they are trying to change Scouting from within. They say their troops operate independent of the the national organization’s policies and practices. They would never discriminate. But, this rings hollow as long as dues are paid to support a national organization that does.

Yes, the files released yesterday ended in 1985, but before you dismiss what is contained in them as yesterday’s news consider for how long and how zealously the Boys Scouts fought to keep the files a secret while victims quietly suffered. Think about the yet-to-be-released files that were not included in the Oregon court matter. And, do not forget the organization’s discrimination based on sexual orientation continues today in earnest and unabashedly in the open.

The time has come for those who disagree with the Boy Scouts of America to walk away. Stop supporting an institution that supports bigotry and puts children at risk. Churches, public schools and other community groups housing local troops should cease doing so as long as any dues are paid from that local group to a larger group that openly discriminates as do the Boy Scouts. The change Scouting from within experiment has failed. Local Scouting troops should take a stand by permanently and completely severing ties with the national organization. These troops can then band together to start a new Boy Scouts of America, one that does more than pay lip service to the credo by insisting all involved actually practice it.

Cutting off all funding and support for the national Boy Scouts organization is the only way to make being a Boy Scout mean what we would like it to mean again.

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Graham Gillette can be reached at grahamgillette@gmail.com 
This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register online essay.