scouting
Scouts for Equality Statement on Mormon Church’s Decision to Stay in Scouting
On 26, Aug 2015 | In Campaign News, scouting | By Zach Wahls
For Immediate Release
August 26, 20155
Press Contact: Zach Wahls
E-mail: press@scoutsforequality.org
Phone: 202-413-3002
“We are heartened by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ decision to continue working with the Boy Scouts of America and to continue offering the program to its young men. We have maintained from the beginning of our campaign that the values and life lessons of Scouting are universal, and we would have been saddened to see hundreds of thousands of youth denied the opportunity to participate in the Boy Scouts. We hope to continue to work to build a stronger and more welcoming Boy Scouts of America with friends and allies across the religious and political spectrum.”
Following End of Boy Scouts’ Ban on Gay Members, Partners and Supporters Return in Droves
On 10, Aug 2015 | In scouting | By Zach Wahls
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 10, 2015
Press Contact: Zach Wahls
E-mail: press@scoutsforequality.org
Following End of Boy Scouts’ Ban on Gay Members, Partners and Supporters Return in Droves
Unitarian Universalist Association and Union for Reform Judaism both signal a return to the Boy Scouts of America, citing work by Scouts for Equality
Hundreds of pro-equality supporters have pledged to return to the Boy Scouts of America through Scouts for Equality
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following July’s historic vote by the Boy Scouts of America to end its ban on gay adults, individuals and groups are already pledging to return to the Scouting organization. Two former BSA chartering organizations—the Union for Reform Judaism and the Unitarian Universalist Association—have announced their intention to move forward in re-establishing ties with the Boy Scouts, citing the work of Scouts for Equality. Both the URJ and the UUA had severed from the Boy Scouts of America because of the BSA’s ban on gay members. In addition, Scouts for Equality reported that more than 250 people had pledged online to return to the Boy Scouts.
“I’m incredibly excited about the response we’ve seen so far,” said Zach Wahls, an Eagle Scout and the Executive Director of Scouts for Equality. “We are planning to work with our members and partners to charter 1,000 new Boy Scout units in the next twenty-four months. With both the UUA and URJ back, it’s clear we’re off to a great start.”
Scouts for Equality has been a leading voice in the campaign for an end to discrimination in the Boy Scouts of America. Following the end of the BSA’s blanket ban on gay adults, the organization rededicated itself to building a stronger, more inclusive BSA. Scouts for Equality is currently working to certify currently existing units that are inclusive, distribute a strong anti-bullying program, and to charter new, fully inclusive Scout units.
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BREAKING—BSA Executive Board Votes to End National Ban on Gay Adults
On 25, Jul 2015 | In scouting | By Zach Wahls
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2015
Press Contact: Zach Wahls
Phone: (319) 438-2246
E-mail: press@scoutsforequality.org
SCOUTS FOR EQUALITY HAILS HISTORIC VOTE BY BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
In historic vote, Boy Scouts of America ends national ban on gay adults—effective immediately.
Scouts for Equality calls on community members, former Scouts, and non-profit organizations to re-engage with Boy Scouts of America.
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Scouts for Equality, the national organization leading the campaign to end discrimination in the Boy Scouts of America, praised today’s historic vote by the BSA’s National Executive Board to end the organization’s decades-old ban on gay adults.
“This vote marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Boy Scouts of America,” said Zach Wahls, the Executive Director of Scouts for Equality. “Tens of thousands of people came together because they wanted to build a better future for the Boy Scouts of America, and that future starts today. I couldn’t be more proud of the tireless work of our members, volunteers, and staff over these last three years. As of today, the Boy Scouts of America is an organization that is looking forward, not back.”
Scouts for Equality—a group of current and former Boy Scouts members—has led the charge in campaigning for an end to the Boy Scouts of America’s ban since 2012. In 2013, the BSA voted to end its ban on gay youth members, which many saw as a stepping-stone to full inclusion for the organization. Today, the work of this campaign was vindicated by an historic vote from the Boy Scouts of America.
“While we still have some reservations about individual units discriminating against gay adults, we couldn’t be more excited about the future of Scouting,” continued Wahls. “We look forward to collaborating with our supporters, progressive faith partners, allied non-profit organizations, and the Boy Scouts of America to ensure a fully inclusive Scouting movement.”
The resolution approved today ends the BSA’s decades-old ban on gay adults while reaffirming the First Amendment right of Boy Scout units chartered (i.e. legally sponsored) by religious organizations to select troop leaders in accordance with their religious principles. In effect, Boy Scout units sponsored by churches will have the right to continue discriminating against gay adults on a troop-by-troop basis. Boy Scout units sponsored by secular organizations will not be allowed to discriminate.
“We’re calling on gay Eagle Scouts, parents who are straight allies, non-profit organizations who support LGBT equality and anyone else who has walked away from the Boy Scouts to rejoin the fold,” continued Wahls. “Together, we can build a stronger, more inclusive Scouting movement.”
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Timeline of Scouts for Equality’s Campaign
April 2012 — Jennifer Tyrrell, a lesbian den mother from Ohio, is removed from her son’s Cub Scout unit because she is gay.
May 2012 — Zach Wahls, an LGBT rights advocate, Eagle Scout, and the son of a same-sex couple from Iowa known for his testimony before the Iowa legislature, delivers a Change.org petition started by Ms. Tyrrell to BSA leadership at their national meeting.
June 2012 — Zach Wahls teams up with Jonathan Hillis, a youth member of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Executive Board, and other Eagle Scouts to launch Scouts for Equality.
July 2012 — BSA reaffirms its ban against gay adults following a two-year review of the policy.
Fall 2012 — Scouts for Equality successfully petitions major BSA sponsors Intel and UPS to suspend their funding until BSA ends its discrimination, and Ryan Andresen, a gay Boy Scout from California, is denied his Eagle Scout award because of his sexual orientation.
January 2013 — The Boy Scouts of America announces it will reconsider its ban on gay youth and schedules a vote for May 2013.
Spring 2013 — Scouts for Equality leads an unprecedented national effort, working with GLAAD, HRC, the Inclusive Scouting Network and others, to win the May vote.
May 2013 — The Boy Scouts of America’s National Council votes 61% to 39% to end the organization’s ban on gay youth.
January 2014 — The new membership policy formally takes effect, ending the BSA’s ban on gay youth but maintaining the ban on gay adults.
April 2014 — The Boy Scouts of America revokes the charter of Seattle Troop 98, which refused to discriminate against its gay Scoutmaster.
Fall 2014 — Scouts for Equality works with David Boies and Boies, Schiller, Flexner, LLP to craft a legal challenge to the Boy Scouts of America’s continued ban on gay adults.
September 2014 — The Boy Scouts of America denies employment to Yasmin Cassini, a lesbian woman from Colorado, because of her sexual orientation—which is illegal in the state of Colorado.
March 2014 — Yasmin Cassini files a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the prelude to legal action.
April 2015 — The Greater New York Councils announce that they have hired Pascal Tessier, the nation’s first known openly gay Eagle Scout under the BSA’s new policy, to work at their summer camp in direct defiance of the BSA’s national ban. Later that month, the New York Attorney General’s office opens an investigation into Boy Scouts of America hiring practices across the state.
May 2015 — Amid mounting legal pressure, Boy Scouts of America President and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates declares the ban “unsustainable,” and calls for its end.
July 13, 2015 — The Boy Scouts of America announces that its National Executive Committee has unanimously voted to end the organization’s ban on gay adults. The resolution advances to the National Executive Board for final approval.
July 27, 2015 — Three years and two weeks after reaffirming its ban on gay members, the Boy Scouts of America’s National Executive Board votes to end the organization’s decades-old national ban on gay adults, while affirming individual units’ ability to select leaders in line with its religious principles.
Scouts for Equality commends the decision and calls on gay Eagle Scouts, parents who are straight allies, non-profit organizations who support LGBT equality and anyone else who has walked away from the Boy Scouts to rejoin the movement.
About Scouts for Equality: Scouts for Equality is a national organization of Boy Scouts of America (BSA) members, former members, and community supporters that campaigns for an end to discrimination in the BSA. Scouts for Equality was founded in 2012 by straight Eagle Scouts. In the last three years, we have grown to more than 20,000 members—including 8,000 Eagle Scouts—have gathered more than 2.2 million petition signatures in support of ending the BSA’s ban on gay members, and successfully led the effort to end the BSA’s ban on both gay youth and adults.
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Boy Scouts of America’s Executive Committee Unanimously Approves End to Ban on Gay Adults
On 13, Jul 2015 | In scouting | By Zach Wahls
Media Contact: (319) 438-2246 or press@scoutsforequality.org
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, the Boy Scouts of America announced that the National Executive Committee unanimously approved a resolution allowing gay adults to serve as employees and volunteers. A vote by the National Executive Board, the Boy Scouts’ governing body, is set for July 27th.
Based on the BSA’s documents, the change would:
- Eliminate the BSA’s across the board ban on openly gay or bisexual adults in scouting.
- Allow each individual troop or unit to determine its own policy regarding the eligibility of openly gay or bisexual scoutmasters or other adult leaders.
- Prohibit regional governing councils or non-Troop entities such as boy scouts camps from discriminating against employees and volunteers based on their sexual orientation.
- Allow previously removed leaders to reapply for their positions.
If ratified on Monday, July 27, the change will be effective immediately.
Following the announcement, Zach Wahls, an Eagle Scout and the Executive Director of Scouts for Equality, issued the following statement:
“Today’s announcement hopefully marks the beginning of the end of the Boy Scouts of America’s decades-old ban on gay leaders and parents like my two moms. In two weeks, the BSA’s national executive board will vote to ratify a resolution that has already been unanimously adopted by their executive committee.
“For decades, the Boy Scouts of America’s ban on gay adults has stood as a towering example of explicit, institutional homophobia in one of America’s most important and recognizable civic organizations. While this policy change is not perfect—BSA’s religious chartering partners will be allowed to continue to discriminate against gay adults—it is difficult to overstate the importance of today’s announcement.
“The BSA has explicitly cited the work of Scouts for Equality members Pascal Tessier, an openly gay Eagle Scout working at a Boy Scouts summer camp in New York state, Yasmin Cassini, a lesbian woman from Colorado who was denied employment on the basis of her sexual orientation, and Brian Peffly, an openly gay Eagle Scout who until recently served as an assistant Scoutmaster in central Ohio. I could not be more proud of, or grateful for, the courage, strength, and dedication to the values of Scouting as demonstrated by Pascal, Yasmin, and Brian.”
The relevant portions of proposed resolution reads as follows (emphasis added). The full resolution can be downloaded here:
Regarding Employees and Non-unit Volunteers
[…]
Adult leaders in the programs of the Boy Scouts of America must (a) subscribe to and abide by the values expressed in the Scout Oath and Scout Law, (b) subscribe to and abide by the precepts of the Declaration of Religious Principle, and (c) demonstrate at all times behavior that exemplifies the highest level of good conduct and respect for others and that is consistent with Scouting’s values and codes of conduct.
No adult applicant for registration as an employee or non-unit-serving volunteer, who otherwise meets the requirements of the Boy Scouts of America, may be denied registration on the basis of sexual orientation.
Regarding Religiously Affiliated Troops and Units
[…]
The Boy Scouts of America affirms the right of each chartering organization to reach its own religious and moral conclusions about the specific meaning and application of these values. The Boy Scouts of America further affirms the right of each chartering organization to select adult leaders who support those conclusions in word and deed and who will best inculcate the organization’s values through the Scouting program.
[…]
From the BSA’s frequently asked questions:
Can a gay adult be a Scoutmaster or unit leader?
Yes. If selected by the chartered organization, an otherwise qualified and eligible gay adult is eligible to serve as a unit leader.
Boy Scouts President Robert Gates Calls for End to BSA’s National Ban on Gay Adults
On 21, May 2015 | In scouting | By Zach Wahls
Dr. Robert Gates: “The Status Quo in Our Movement’s Membership Standards Cannot Be Sustained.”
Dr. Robert Gates: Boy Scouts Will Not Revoke Charters of Boy Scout Chapters That Do Not Enforce Ban on Gay Adults
Two Resolutions Concerning “Membership Standards” Referred to Executive Committee of BSA Executive Board for Further Review
Washington, D.C.—Today, Dr. Robert Gates, President of the Boy Scouts of America, called on the organization to end its ban on gay adults, stating that the “status quo in our movement’s membership standards cannot be sustained,” in prepared remarks.
Dr. Gates went on to say that the BSA would not revoke the charters of Boy Scouts Councils that defied the organization’s ban on gay adults, explicitly mentioning the Denver Area Council and the Greater New York Council.
“This is another step forward for the Boy Scouts of America,” said Scouts for Equality executive director Zach Wahls. “I’m proud to see Dr. Gates chartering a course towards full equality in the BSA. While our work won’t be done until we see a full end to their ban on gay adults once and for all, today’s decision moves the Boy Scouts in that direction.”
Scouts for Equality has also confirmed that the BSA Resolutions Committee has referred two proposed resolutions requesting changes to the membership standards pertaining to adult gay leaders to the BSA’s Executive Committee, a standing leadership committee within the BSA’s Executive Board, the organization’s main governing body.
The BSA Resolutions Committee received 14 resolutions overall, and referred four to the Executive Committee, including two on membership standards. There are no votes on any resolutions at the business meeting this year.
“Dr. Gates has built his reputation on straight talk, and I’m glad he’s fully endorsing a re-evaluation of the Boy Scouts’ ban on gay adults,” continued Wahls. “It seems like the Boy Scouts will continue an internal dialogue about the subject and that a full vote within the next year or two is imminent.”
Thanks for the favorite, Cub Scouts!
On 27, Apr 2015 | In scouting | By Zach Wahls
From Twitter:
That was cool! Appreciate the encouragement, Cub Scouts!
Why can’t Rainer Beach Methodist Church choose their own Scoutmaster?
On 18, Apr 2014 | In scouting | By Scouts for Equality
Taking away Geoff McGrath’s role in this church’s Scouting program is in contradiction to RBUMC’s religious beliefs and a contradiction of your own policy.
From the BSA’s Charter and Bylaws:
Section 1. Activities, clause 2. The activities of the members of the Boy Scouts of America shall be carried on under conditions which show respect to the convictions of others in matters of custom and religion, as required by the twelfth point of the Scout Law, reading, “Reverent. A Scout is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties. He respects the beliefs of others.”
Voice of the Scout Survey is live
On 11, Mar 2013 | In scouting | By Scouts for Equality
The Boy Scouts of America has employed the use of a survey to assess the Scouting family’s stance on the discriminatory ban on gay youth and parents.
Scouts and parents are urged to request the survey using their BSA Membership ID number from this link: http://scouting.us.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0lecWOay3bPbczP
Northern Star Council Supports Equality Despite BSA’s Position
On 31, Jul 2012 | In scouting | By Scouts for Equality
The largest council in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin, the Northern Star Council, has said that homosexual individuals are welcome in its troops, even though the Boy Scouts of America has stated its opposition.
Northern Star joins several other councils that have expressed their defiance of the national policy. The Baden-Powell council in New York, the Narragansett Council in Rhode Island, and the Piedmont Council in California have also all stated their support for equality in scouting.