The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has finally made half of a right choice and has decided to allow homosexual boys to become members of a troop. The organization, however, continues to deny openly homosexual men and women the opportunity to lead troops. There are three reasons why the BSA should allow gay adults to be leaders of troops.
Every non-profit that deals with volunteers knows that it is hard finding people who will actually do what they say. Regardless of a person’s sexual orientation, if he or she is willing, able and ready to lead a troop or be a part of troop leadership, that person should be given the reins to do so. If there are several people who are willing to volunteer and able to follow through on their commitment, then the process of selection should be based on abilities and how they relate to the boys in the troop.
Homosexuality is not a choice. I speak from my personal experience as a heterosexual. I have had several men hit on me at different times in my life. More men than women have been interested in dating me. If homosexuality were a choice, I would have chosen to be gay a long time ago – just to be rid of the loneliness of everyday life as a single male.
If the BSA has decided to allow boys who identify themselves as homosexual into troops, it should also give those boys role models that are like themselves. The Clark Doll experiment documented that African-American girls like to play with white dolls rather than black ones when given the choice, and at five years old, these girls recognized the perceived lack of value that they had because of their skin color. Gay boys and girls are no different in that they see a perceived lack of value in who they are based on the gender of person that they are attracted to.
Not being able to see people like you creates a self-esteem vacuum that is likely to destroy a boy’s confidence in who he is.
The only thing that we have to give to this world is the person that we truly are. Not allowing someone to develop to their full potential because of fear about who they are hurts them in unimaginable ways. It also hurts society in that the community loses what that person could have brought in terms of art and beauty if allowed to flourish.
The strongest reason that the BSA should allow homosexual men to be troop leaders is that gay people are people. If a person’s humanity is not enough to commend someone to accept someone else regardless of differences, we are in a world of trouble.
The BSA has stated that its mission is to provide “a program for young people that builds character, trains them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and develops personal fitness… helping youth is a key to building a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society.”
To accomplish that, today’s youth need to learn to get along with people of all sorts.
When people are only around others that are like them, they have less sympathy for the plight of those who are different.
Society is not as homogenous as it once was. Seemingly, many people cannot love those they do not know, and when they are specifically separated from another person for any reason, children will fear and despise that person.
In some areas, the U.S. has done away with separate but equal. The BSA needs to do away with the separate and bring everyone to the table who has a stake in raising a generation that can love one another as God has loved us.
Instead of judging people for something they cannot control, Christians need to follow Christ’s admonition to love your neighbor and to judge not. Sexual behavior is no one’s business but the two consenting adults between whom it occurs. Let’s accept people for who they are, and leave the judgment to God.
