Sometimes, the sound of dominos falling is so nice.
I really hope this also promises to be the US presidential cycle that cements the fact that the modern GOP (and its icky outgrowths) will never be able to win another presidential campaign in this country again.
LOL it’s so wonderful observing their primary system in action, which is only set up to elect the people who will do worst in a popular campaign (the nice side-effect of gerrymandering I suppose).
Finally, Baden-Powell would be allowed to be a leader.
Looks like there’s a qualifier missing - apparently, groups sponsored/run by “religious chartering partners” can continue to discriminate against gay adults.
If I read the terminology and the numbers (Wikipedia and elsewhere) correctly, there are about 72,000 religious-affiliated groups out of about 105,000 total.
About fucking time. Welcome to the 20th century America
I imagine that one or more of the GOP candidates will rail against this and propose the formation of the United States Jesus Patriot Scouts, in which prospective scouts are tested to confirm they have a Y chromosome (but ONLY one), swear on a bible that they’re not Mexican or Muslimist, and leaders are either married or eunuchs.
Probably, but from the polls I have seen, the younger Republicans don’t have a problem with gay people. It is mainly the older ones. So the party is slow aligning with the rest of the nation.
Also, there are even gay republicans. http://www.logcabin.org/
I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, but the ban has not been lifted. Once the Executive Board votes on July 27th, then the decision would be effective immediately.
I bet there’s a lot of magic underwear in a twist over this.
The point is that even though church chartered units can still discriminate going forward, there’s no longer going to be a rule that all units must discriminate, as in the past. This lets the many many units that have always quietly ignored the policy operate in the open. I think the units run by 1950s-thinking asshats will just wither and die, while the inclusive ones will attract young families and thrive.
It’s very good news (but yes, not quite yet a done deal - though I think it will happen).
If they still hassle you about needing to believe in a god, feel free to contact the Satanic Temple outreach center.
There is already a religious alternative to the Girl Scouts, actually… The American Heritage Girls club:
The only reason that the Boy Scouts held out so long was because of the influence of the Mormons and the Southern Baptist Convention (I think that’s the organization).
I do think there is a struggle between groups like the Log Cabin republicans and younger, more libertarian leaning republicans on the one hand and the more religious oriented wing of the GOP on the other. It’s issues like this and probably immigration that’s going to tear the party apart if they aren’t careful.
A college friend – a one-time Eagle Scout – once told me about the “Boy Scouts of the United States,” formed when the BSA started allowing black kids into the scouts.
I could Wiki them up, but I don’t want to get depressed.
Eh - can you confirm this? I hadn’t heard of it and I can’t find anything about that org or another splitting off from the BSA because of blacks being allowed.
As I under stand it the Catholic Church was the 2nd largest sponsor/religious overlord in American scouting. With Baptists only really holding sway down south, and coming in at a distant third.
In other words: the BSA leadership finally realised that shifting from “openly bigoted” to “making a minimal effort to pretend not to be bigoted” wasn’t enough to bring the lost donation dollars back.
So, they’re continuing to edge towards decency, as slowly as possible, with the full intention of slamming on the anchors wherever they are when the money reappears.
Fuck 'em; your kids deserve better than that. Let the BSA die and be replaced by something worthy of respect.
First: You forgot to add “OF AMERICA” in the article headline. Again.
Writing “Boy Scouts” when you mean “Boy Scouts of America” on the internet, especially when talking about this subject, just causes public relations problems for all decent scouting organisations elsewhere on the planet. Seriously. Two words more in a headline is not too muich to ask for.
Next step: Stop discriminating against atheists.
The problem is, the BSA is not really replaceable. Scouting is an international organisation, and the BSA is its American member organisation. At this year’s World Scout Jamboree in Japan, boys and girls from Austria will meet boys and girls from Japan, girls and boys from Canada, and boys from the BSA. They will not meet any members of Campfire USA.
The BSA is maybe even slightly more friendly towards gay and atheist members than the Saudi Arabian Boy Scouts Association. So the combined vote of all scout associations of Western countries is not enough to kick out and “replace” the BSA.
The BSA needs to be reformed from the inside. There is no alternative.
There is always the alternative of “decent people refusing to tolerate bigotry for the sake of convenience”.
Yes, there’s a cost to that. That’s why it’s known as “fighting for justice” instead of “going along”.
Creating justice always costs you. If there was no cost, everyone would be doing it already.
There’s also “Trail Life USA” for Christian boys, a program formed after the lifting of the ban on gay kids in 2013. It looks about as joyless and unsuccessful as you’d imagine.
