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| I actually took this image from a conservative blog freaking about gay scouts. I think it's fabulous, don't you? |
To Whom It May Concern,
The Boy Scouts of America are an institution of our country that teaches boys valuable lessons they can hold on throughout life. More importantly than how to build a fire or tie a knot are the friendships and social network created by each troop. By limiting such a valuable resource to gay, bisexual and transgender boys (who arguably need it most), you are telling them they are not valuable members of our country, that a fundamental part of who they are makes it impossible for them to be good citizens. That couldn't be further from the truth. The LGBT community is a closely knit network who helps each other and supports one another because often our families and colleagues have spurned us. We are the very model of a supportive community. It is only a matter of time before discriminating against LGBT citizens will be as unthinkable as discriminating against someone because of their race. Do you really want your organization to go down on the wrong side of history? Do you want to be one of the contributing factors that leads to a disproportionate amount of suicides among LGBT youth? Do you want to tell the other boys who are allowed to join your organization that it's acceptable to hate someone because of who they are or who they love? I sincerely hope not. It is because of your discriminatory stance against gay, bisexual, transgender, and atheist boys that I have refused to support the Boy Scouts of America for years. By contrast, I have been a fierce supporter of the Girl Scouts because of their inclusive policies and uplifting work for all girls. Thank goodness they are a completely separate organization from yours that seem to understand the mindset of the 21st century. Take the first step in ensuring that you will help all boys become outstanding citizens who grow up to be honest, well-adjusted men: Lift the ban against Gay Scouts!
Best Wishes,
Dorian Mooneyham
Alot of people would consider your letter to be over the top. But I for one would like to see you go farther. You spoke about the 21st century mindset. But it would be a shame if people thought that any kind of ending point has been reached by the gay people of today. The 21st century will see alot of radical changes in the next 87 years. Gay people have only just begun to break from the traditional cultural concept we in the West have inherited from our Christian forebears. Anthropology proves that our cultural concept is just that: a transitory concept, not more not less, which is as much a historical accident than anything else, and that goes for the one which is current among gay people. In some domed city on Mars in the year 2099, people will have a conception of these matters that we in the year 2013 couldn't conceive of.
ReplyDeleteThe early Christians saw the Roman form of homosexuality, which was horribly dysfunctional, so naturally they rejected it. Too bad they weren't able to conceive of the possibility that it could take a different form, and it seems strange to me that gay people haven't made that point clearer. Maybe alot of gay people are still identifying with the old traditional cultural form more than they would like to admit.
Maybe people would be more comfortable with the idea of gays in the Boy Scouts if they had been told that gay people are going somewhere with things, and that their son's gay Scoutmaster might just be intelligent and principled enough to be wrestling with complicated questions rather than being just another drone following whatever happens to be the current fashion. On the other hand, alot of the people fighting the lifting of the ban are drones too, so maybe such complexities would just make them wet their pants all over again.