Boy Scouts allowing gays 2-7-2012
Boy scouts of America will be celebrated its 103rd birthday 2-8-2013. About 2 months ago while I was watching the news on KARE 11 one of the headlines was that the “Boy Scouts of America are considering allowing Gays in the organization”. On 2-6-13 I read a news article published by Miranda Leitsinger, a staff writer for NBC news states “Boy Scouts: We need more time for decision on gay membership”. This was brought before the Supreme Court in 2000 and they ruled in their favor stating that this was legal free speech by a private organization and thus did not have to allow gays to join. I wonder if it was a sense of shame and conscience that brought about the statement in January. As society in a whole our views have changed about limiting people to organizations based on their sex, sexual orientation, color or ethnicity. With the recent articles about being gay and bullied coming out over the last year it doesn’t look good that the Boy Scouts sill up hold such unethical policy of discrimination. The solution that was put in place by the Boy Scouts after they had released to the press that they were going to consider allowing gays in Scouting was followed by poll for people for or against allowing gays. This is a Utilitarianism theory on the boy scouts part as they were looking for the public to make up their mind for them and be able to blame others. The Boy Scouts of America have Absolut phobia and should develop their own autonomy as to whether they want to about the situation. “The mission statement of the Boy scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime by instilling in them the Scout oath laws” as stated on their web site (scouting.org). The scout oat doesn’t mention any were that you can only like the opposite sex and started a program in 1995 a co-ed sea scouting program called Venturing for ages 14 to 21. Once they allowed the opposite sex to join it looks as they are truly discriminating against a person and their sexual preference. Thus it is an unethical decision on the part of boy scouts of America to discriminate against young people who like someone of the same sex. In reading the web at www.scouting .org it states” Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest and most prominent value based youth organizations in the world.” It boost of having a membership of 2.6 million in 2011 and awarding badges for First Aid, swimming, camping cooking and Citizenship just to name a few. It is a program that works closely with several religious organizations. The top 4 are: The church of Jesus Christ Later day Saints, United Methodist church, Catholic Church and Baptist Church holding 69.4% of the chartered memberships and as a charter they are to provide a representative to organize all unit operations, a adequate meeting place and provide leadership. Boy Scouts of America also has charters with civic organizations as well but religious organizations hold the majority of their charters.
Boy scouts of America have the corner market for setting the example as to what is wright a wrong for young people that are members. The disadvantage of this power is that they are not setting a good example as they are directly violating their own mission statement. In reading “Thinking Critically” by John Chaffee chapter 3 is based on a 5 steps to help with problem solving. The boy Scouts of America know what the problem is they don’t want to allow gays. Some alternatives would be to allow gays to join without any restriction and the charted memberships have to allow this. Another option is to allow individual charters to make their own decision. The disadvantages of the first option are that the local charters that are based in religious organizations that believe this to be morally wrong will feel that their rights have been violated. The disadvantage of option 2 is that there could still be the discrimination at the local level and would not be perceived as wrong in the eyes of the Boy Scout council. On the other hand Boy scouts is a private organization and why should they be told who they have to allow in there organization based on the Supreme Court ruling from 2000. Since the religious organizations hold about 70% of the membership would this cause the Boy Scouts to go out of business per say. If the Boy scouts were to join or let their holding go to the religious organizations the ethical question on whether a public youth organization that prides its self on helping young people to become moral and ethical adults would know be a religious organization and they would not have to change the policy. Thus the religious organizations could dictate the moral decisions based on what they feel are ethical and moral.
Being the relativist I respect it is a private club. But don’t sell in your mission statement that you are teaching young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime. When they aren’t doing this themselves. I have not read anything that leads me to believe allowing gays in the Boy Scouts is anything but unethical as it is violating the young adults’ rights over what the Boy Scouts looks at as personally immoral. Neither the Boy Scouts nor the religious organizations are upholding the golden rule. Does this make it a direct violation of civil rights?

Cited Works:
Boy Scouts of America 2013, web 06 Feb 2013, 28,Feb 2013
< http://www.scouting.org/About/FactSheets.aspx>
Leitsinger, Miranda “Boy Scouts: We need more time for decision on gay membership” NBC news.com (blog) 6 Feb 2013, web 06 Feb 2013
Chaffee, John. Thinking Critically. Tenth Edition. 2012, 2009 Wadsworth,Cengage Learning(print)