Title: united way and boys scouts
This is my first time being involved with e-democracy, and I would like to extend a congratulations to the United Way - Winona. I am sure this has not been an easy decision. If it was an easy decision I am quite sure there would be more than a handful of United Way organizations doing the same thing. And I believe that the number of United Way organizations to take this same stand is less than 20 nationwide. If this is known to be different, please correct this information.
It would seem that the primary issue here is two organizations making choices and sticking by them. The United Way has made a choice to be true to their policy of non-discrimination. In a sense, the boys scouts have done the same thing. They have made a choice to follow their policy and a choice to refuse to sign or abide by this non-discrimination policy. While the boy scouts may provide what many describe as a positive environment for their boys, this policy was probably in place when they signed their sons up. And the following would lend support to this:
"We are a private organization with the right to maintain our own standards of leadership and decide who is appropriate and not appropriate as adult leaders," Diamond said. "This was affirmed in the Supreme Court of our land last summer."
The policy enjoys the overwhelming support of parents and the organizations which charter individual scout units, Good added.
While some may try to change the scouts from the inside, there is always the potential of paying the price for this kind of activism. I struggle to feel overwhelming sad for those who may lose out over the decisions made by both the United Way and the Boy Scouts. My reasoning is that there are many more people in this country, and around the world who are oppressed on a daily basis for being gay or lesbian. People being beaten and killed, as in the case of Mathew Shepard. People losing their jobs and livelihood. Parents losing their children. Not to mention the many children being harassed, teased, excluded and assaulted for either their own or their parents sexual orientation. A gentleman wrote that it is the children who suffer from this kind of a decision(scouts losing funding), but the children already are suffering. And I believe the children who suffer from the above mentioned have a much greater struggle than the boys who may lose out on scouting.
Jacquelyn Kelly
