[Winona Online Democracy]
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this discussion...it has
been a very informative exchange for me and, I trust, others as well...
To my mind this is the kind of issue that has no absolutely right
answer. I think scouting is a terrific program, both for boys and
girls. I had terrific experiences both as a cub scout and as an
explorer...both programs of the Boy Scouts of America. My family
and friends count many scouts among them...from brownies to an eagle
scout. Scouting activities both provide a safe haven for young
people, and develop self-esteem, self-confidence, and leadership
skills.
By the same token, I think the boy scouts are dead wrong to say
that gay men are, without exception, a threat to young boys, and
cannot be trusted as role models. Homosexuality and pedophilia
are not the same thing...heterosexual men are much more likely
to abuse children than gay men, simply because there are more of
them. As for a gay man's ability to successfully mentor a child,
Big Brothers-Big Sisters has no problem with it...they simply
work with the child's family to see if that kind of match would
work for them.
There is no 'homosexual agenda' to steer children into a 'homosexual
lifestyle.' There is no annual recruiting drive.
These concerns, however, pale in comparison with the thought that
the scouts might discriminate against an individual troop member
who is perceived as gay. I can think of no greater injustice that
could be done to a child than for supposedly upstanding adults to
say to him or her, 'you are a bad person.'
The Supreme Court has said that the BSA may, as a private organization,
determine its own membership standards. That is current law. But
that does not make it right. Early in our state's history the Supreme
Court determined that an African-American man in Minnesota was not a
free man. Just because it was the law of the land for a number of years
did not make the Dredd Scott decision a right decision.
Dean Lanz's reference to an opposite finding by the high court about
The Jaycees right to determine its own membership standards (when they
fought admitting women in the late seventies) is good to bring to our
attention. It is my belief that when that decision came down, women's
rights were essentially a fait-accompli...a done deal. Our discussion
about gay rights is not yet as far along...and it has all sorts of
religious and moral and sexual overtones that make for a difficult
discussion.
I am glad that we are having a good discussion here and now...and there
has been no incivility...congratulations to everyone on that.
I am sorry that this post is so long, but I have wrestled with this
issue for almost a year now. The boy scouts have the right to set
their own membership standards. The United Way has the right to
establish its own membership standards. The boy scouts have been
praised in some quarters for sticking to their guns. The United
Way honestly believes that what we are doing is right. Even if you
disagree with us, I hope that you respect us for having the courage
of our conviction, because this has not been easy for us. We are
doing what we feel is right and just and fair.
Thank you again.
Bob Sebo
Vice-President
United Way of the Greater Winona Area
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