Just so I understand this correctly, the Boy Scouts has lifted its ban on openly gay boys, but openly gay men are not allowed in the organization. At least that's what I've been hearing on NPR this afternoon.
Imagine being a parent of a young 12 year old boy who has been struggling with his place in life and has finally realized and is beginning to courageously accept that he is gay. I would imagine you only want the best for this tender heart coming out to the world which he probably already knows will judge him more for being gay than anything else he does.
He decides to join the Boy Scouts. You spend the money on the uniform, the meetings, the trips, you drive him back and forth, you listen to the stories of what new skills he learned and about life's values from those who the Boy Scouts put in charge of building character and self-esteem in youth, of being their role model. You know, the straight guys.
For six years your son excels in the Boy Scouts. He flourishes, he thrives, he creates, he shares, he is proud of who he has become. It's his 18th birthday that year. Now he must separate from the Boy Scouts. Why? Not because of behavior unbecoming a Boy Scout, not because he didn't meet the expectations of being a citizen of the community, not because he wasn't kind or respectful to his peers, but because he became of adult age and he's gay.
The Boy Scouts decided to allow gay boys to be part of their organization, but not the respectable, dedicated gay men who grew up in the organization and to whom those developing spirits would look for truth.
Hmmmm, I knew there was a reason I never wanted to be a Boy Scout.
