Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Boy Scout Policy Proposal


Boy Scouts officials said on Monday that under a new proposal, to be considered by the executive board next week, local scouting groups could decide for themselves whether to allow gay scouts and leaders, based on the social, religious and philosophical tenets of a troop’s families.
The Episcopal Church called for such a change in policy.  In 1976 the Episcopal Church said that "homosexual persons are children of God who have full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance and pastoral concern and care of the Church."  Nine years later the Episcopal Church asked it’s clergy to “encourage the Boy Scouts of America to allow membership to youth and adult leaders irrespective of their sexual orientation.”

As an Eagle Scout and an Episcopal priest, I pray the executive board of the Boy Scouts will adopt the proposal before it and subsequently that local scouting groups will indeed decide to membership to youth and adult leaders irrespective of their sexual orientation.