United Church of Christ & Unitarian Universalists Endorsements

Scouts for Equality’s mission and moral compass have been officially endorsed by two of the BSA’s faith-based chartering partners: The United Church of Christ and Unitarian Universalists Association.

Read our mutual statements below:

United Church of Christ & Scouts for Equality

The United Church of Christ (UCC) has a long history of supporting social justice and affirming the worth of all God’s children, regardless of who they love. The Boy Scouts of America has served our nation well, and helped develop boys into men and children into leaders through spiritual guidance and community service. It is in that spirit that we ask them to join the UCC and Scouts for Equality in making the BSA a home for every boy.

God’s table is open to everyone. We embrace the God-given worth and dignity of all people and are committed to the value of extravagant welcome where everyone has a place at the table. We cannot support a policy that limits the diversity of BSA membership any more than we can deny the interconnected web of faith that unites us all in the eyes of God. Adopting an inclusive membership policy and supporting all youth is the right thing to do.

The BSA has welcomed many people from many backgrounds, and we look forward to the day that our gay and bisexual brothers and sisters are welcome as scouts and as leaders. We stand with Scouts for Equality and ask the BSA to end its policy of exclusion.

Quote from Rev. Michael Schuenemeyer, UCC executive and minster for LGBT concerns:
“Citizenship, a core value of scouting, includes honoring and protecting the worth and dignity of every person. The discriminatory membership policies of the Boy Scouts of America violate these values and should be changed. The BSA should honor its values of respecting the diversity of theological teachings that exist among the broad spectrum of faith groups that participate, including the UCC’s values of extravagant welcome and inclusion.”

Unitarian Univeralist Association & Scouts for Equality

We are pleased to announce the support of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) in our work to end the BSA’s ban on gay youth and parents. Their acceptance of people from all walks of life is affirmed by the foundations of Scouting, which has long fostered an environment for interfaith development of our nation’s youth. Just as the BSA has been a home to a wide range of religious backgrounds, the UUA stands with Scouts for Equality in asking the BSA to accept gay youth and parents regardless of sexual orientation. We welcome the UUA’s support of equality and inclusiveness in the BSA.

As an organization of faith and spirituality, the UUA exemplifies what it means to honor the inherent worth and to nurture spiritual growth of all people. Similarly, the BSA has a long history of standing by these same guiding principles; even the father of the Scouting movement, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, said “the sport in Scouting is to find the good in every boy and develop it.” By accepting all youth who are willing to live by Scouting’s principles into the BSA, we are able to follow his vision.

We welcome the UUA’s commitment to respect the inherent worth and dignity of all people, and
we look forward to working with the UUA and many other faith-based organizations to ensure a stronger BSA for our nation’s youth.

If you haven’t yet, please sign on as a member of Scouts for Equality:

 
 
We’ve still got a lot of work to do.