Most of you probably do not know that I am an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America. I get questions all the time when I tell people that I am an Eagle whether it's still a good organization and whether I will eventually put my children into it. The answer is 'yes'.
I am the tenth Eagle in my family dating back to my grandfather on my dad's side. I learned a ton about myself, the outdoors, leadership and made a lot of good friends along the way. I have a slew of wonderful memories that I will never forget, despite controversy that has arisen in the BSA since I received my Eagle nearly 7 years ago.
Because of the new ruling to allow openly gay young men into the BSA, I asked my friend Marcos to guest post as he has a unique perspective on the ruling.
Marcos and I go back into my elementary school days. He was friends with my brother first and we became friends through that connection. We did cross country together, our families went on a cruise together and he and I were boy scouts together. His dad was a parent leader and he and I were tent mates through two trips to the Boy Scout's 11 day backpacking camp; Philmont, in New Mexico.
Read through what he has to say because it is incredibly insightful and interesting nonetheless.
(P.S. I have never written a blog post before!)
The Boy Scouts of America has recently deliberated and decided to permit young scouts who are openly gay to participate in their organization. Like any other arena in our American society the inclusion of gay people always seems to be a divisive issue and one that impacts many people in a very direct and personal ways. Some people may feel threatened by the inclusion of those different than them, while others feel personally and emotionally attacked by the organization and it’s blatant discrimination. A simple search through google will show you that it is pretty easy to find people on both sides of this perspective, however I feel as if I have not read anything that reflects what I believe and/or feel about this recent decision.
It is my opinion that by allowing young gay boys into Scouts while still discriminating and preventing gay adults to participate in the organization may have more negative and detrimental effects than not allowing any gay people in. According to the new rules, once an openly gay scout reaches 18, they are essentially prevented from being an active part of the organization, so even if this scouting becomes an important part of this young persons life, eventually the organization will say “we don’t want you here anymore.” From my own experiences in scouts, one of the most important fixtures in a troop is strong leadership and parent involvement. However with this new legislation if a child, homosexual or heterosexual, wants to participate in scouts and their parent identifies as homosexual, they will not have the same opportunities to interact and learn from their parent(s) the same way that a child who has heterosexual parents will. In my own troop we had events like cake auctions, family campouts, awards ceremonies, etc, and I wonder if this new regulation will prevent homosexual parents from providing their child and their child’s troop the support that is pivotal for an engaging and active troop. I have seen BSA troops suffer because the older scouts once they earn their Eagle Scout (the highest rank in the BSA), they no longer are active in the troop. This I feel could be a common problem, those with the insight and experience to provide solid leadership, don’t. So it seems to me like shooting one’s self in the foot to openly and blatantly discriminate against people who may very well be able to offer not only a new perspective, but also provide needed leadership, all because some people don’t like what they do with their bodies with other people. And if a scout has gay parents, the prevention of them participating in their child’s extracurricular activities, I believe this can/will create a sense of shame and embarrassment in the scouts and parents minds. Imagine someone telling your son or your brother, cousin, whatever that you can come to this campout with the other families, but yours can’t come. It’s so blatantly offensive it seems ridiculous to me.
I am also interested in how the BSA is going to ensure that openly gay scouts are not bullied, targeted or harassed in their troops, and have not heard of any decisive action to do so.
There is no doubt in my mind that one of the largest motivators to allow openly gay youth and not adults into the organization is the fear of potential sexual abuse of the scouts by an adult. In our culture we are not strangers to the MYTH that homosexual people are inherently sexual perverts who prey on children, especially if the gay person is a man. This is a similar and just as false assumption as homosexuality leading to bestiality, and both of these lies have been perpetuated so much through our society, often times people don’t even question the validity of such ignorant statements. I encourage you all to do your own research on the subject but multiple studies have shown that most pedophiles who abuse children of their same sex DO NOT identify as gay and often maintain what society would call a “normal” relationship with an “age appropriate partner” of the opposite sex. This is a point that I think is very important to discus and reflect upon. If the BSA is preventing openly gay men from being involved in the organization out of fear that peoples children might be sexually abused or harassed (in a homosexual way, whatever that is) why are they not concerned that the scout leaders who identify as heterosexual who could also abuse and harass their children. If you type “scouting sex abuse cases” into Wikipedia, it will become clear very quickly that men in positions of power (and who identify as heterosexual, because they couldn’t be scout leaders otherwise) have taken advantage and sexually abused scouts. So this is where I say, “hey Boy Scouts of America, your homophobia is showing!” What makes this so homophobic is that as a culture/society we ASSUME that openly gay people are going to be the sexual deviants, but most people do not assume that their 16 year old daughters male basketball coach is going to rape her, their doctor will touch them inappropriately, or that because one identifies as heterosexual they SHOULD be trusted to take your children backpacking. What makes sense to me is to create and organization and social structure where children are not EVER put in a situation to be abused (sexually or otherwise), so I think it is important to ask, in what situations could a child be exploited or sexually abused (any circumstance that puts them alone with an adult for a period of time) and make changes to prevent ANY possibility of abuse which as I have pointed out can be at the hands of heterosexual people too. If the organization is creating a truly safe space for these youths, then I am confused as to how one sexual identity or preference has anything to do with being a good mentor, parent and/or friend.
Before I finish this entry I want to point something out. You may have noticed that in this piece I refer to “openly gay” scouts and adults, this was a very deliberate choice. It is important to understand that just because a person is or has homosexual feelings, it does not mean that they appreciate them, act on them or feel comfortable enough to be honest about them. When I earned my Eagle Scout I was gay, but not open or “out.” At this time it was against BSA rules to allow gay scouts in the organization, but I can tell you right now, I was gay ALL THROUGHOUT my scouting experience, up to and including receiving their highest honor.
I could keep going but I don’t want this to turn into a rant or get way off topic, and I think I at least addressed the issues I see with this ruling.
So to end, I believe the Boy Scouts of America to incredibly homophobic and prejudicial to families with homosexual children and/or parents. I believe this new rule is still grounded in ignorant homophobia and while some would claim this as a small victory, the inclusion of gay youths and discriminating against gay adults is still homophobic discrimination, and my heart goes out to those families and all those who are not fully accepted, or respected because there are people who are scared of the fact that we can love another person.
Marcos Guerrero Trujillo
“Fabulous” Eagle Scout
5-30-2013
I'm obsessed with this.
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