Boy Scouts of America's decision to overturn its ban on homosexuals

¶ … Boy Scouts of America have long been renowned for their dedication to their country and community, and strive to instill their values of camaraderie and unity in others. However, the Boy Scouts of America recently came under fire for their policies against homosexuals including their ban of gays and the recent overturning of their policies against them.

The Boy Scouts of America have been around for 103 years and were incorporated on February 8, 1910 under the District of Columbia's laws (Boy Scouts of America). In 1911, the Scout Oath, Scout Law, badges, and fundamental policies were adopted, and in 1916, the Boy Scouts of America adopted their Constitution and bylaws (Boy Scouts of America). The Scout Oath is as follows,

On my honor I will do my best

To do my duty to God and my country

And to obey the Scout Law;

To help other people at all time;

To keep myself physically strong,

Mentally awake, and morally straight (Boy Scouts of America)

According to the 11th edition of the Boy Scout Handbook, "morally straight" is defined as a "person of strong character, your relationships with others should be honest and open. You should respect and defend the rights of all people. Be clean in your speech and actions, and remain faithful in your religious beliefs. The values you practice as a Scout will help you shape a life of virtue and self-reliance" ("Morally Straight").

Likewise, the Scout Law states, "A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent" (Boy Scouts of America). The 11th edition of the Boy Scout Handbook defines "clean" by stating, "A Scout keeps his body and mind fit and clean. He chooses the company of those who live by high standards. He helps keep his home and community clean" ("Morally Straight"). It is these definitions of morally straight and clean that have created undue pressure towards homosexuals in the Boy Scouts, whom leaders believe do not fit the definitions of "morally straight" or "clean."

The issue of homosexuality does not appear to have been a problem within the Boy Scouts of America until 1978 when the issue was first addressed. In a 1978 memorandum, the Boy Scouts of America stated, "In the absence of any law [in the United States] to the contrary, the Boy Scouts would have to obey laws that prohibit discrimination against an individuals employment on the basis of homosexuality," while simultaneously declaring that any individual who identified himself as homosexual could not volunteer to be a Scout Leader ("BSA's Policy On Homosexuals"). At this time, the Boy Scouts of America were concerned with avoiding the violation of any individual's civil rights and while the issue was revisited on a case-by-case basis -- if any members of the organization declare himself a homosexual -- the organization did not take any formal position on the issue until 1991. In a Position Statement dated June 24, 1991, the Boy Scouts of America declared,

We believe that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the requirements in the Scout Oath that a Scout be morally straight and in the Scout Law that a Scout be clean in word and deed, and that homosexuals do not provide a desirable role model for Scouts.

Because of these beliefs, the Boy Scouts of America does not accept homosexuals as members or as leaders, whether in volunteer or professional capacities. (BSA's Policies On Homosexuality)

The Boy Scout of America's policy on homosexuality has been revised multiple times with the most recent revision taking place in 2012.

Because of their position against homosexuality, the Boy Scouts of America have been subject to four separate lawsuits: Curran v. Mount Diablo Council of Boy Scouts of America, 952 P.2d 218 (1998), Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, 530 U.S.640 (2000), Chicago Area Council of Boy Scouts of America v. City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations, 748 N.E. 2d 759 (2001), and Boy Scouts of America v. District of Columbia Commission on Human Rights, 809 A.2d 1192 (2002). In each of these cases, homosexual men who were stripped of their leadership positions within the Boy Scouts sued the organization for discrimination and claimed that their civil rights had been violated. However, in each of these cases, it was determined that the "Boy Scouts asserts that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the values it seeks to instill" (Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, 530 U.S.640 (2000). As a result of this stance, many homosexual Eagle Scouts -- the highest rank that can be attained within the Boy Scouts -- returned their badges in protest (Leitsinger).

Protests like these brought even more attention and scrutiny to the organization. It was only until a meeting in 2013 was held in which "60% of the group's National Council, comprised of some 1,400 delegates, voted in favor of ending the ban, effective January 1, 2014" (Richter). In "Boy Scouts of America votes to end century-old ban on gay scouts," Richter writes, "The Boy Scouts has faced heavy pressure on one side from gay rights supporters and some of the major corporate sponsors who provide much of the group's annual funding, and on the other by a variety of major national church groups, who sponsor and support the large majority of troops nationwide." The Boy Scouts of America also faced the risk of losing corporate sponsors such as Intel Corp who stated that it would stop supporting troops that discriminated against gay members. Intel Corp was followed by United Parcel Service Inc. And Merck & Co (Richter).