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lesbian notions Scouts are “morally straight,” but philosophically hypocritical by Paula Martinac Special to Q-Notes What does it mean to be a boy in America? After the Supreme Court’s recent anti-gay rul ing in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, that’s a question we should be asking more and more. Since 1910, Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has played an important role in defining Ameri can boyhood and preparing boys for respon sible citizenship. Scouting has been a rite of passage for 100 million boys, and, if you’re from a white Protestant or Catholic background in particular, chances are pretty good that some one close to you was once a scout. Well-known figures ranging from Bill Bradley to Gerald Ford to Steven Spielberg have all been scouts. Scout ing is even part of our cultural language, com plete with its own cliched images — the boy scout helping the little old lady across the street, for example. Given the social and cultural meaning of this organization, then, it’s outrageous that the BSA’s lawyers convinced five out of nine Supreme Court justices that their organization is a pri vate association with the right to expel gays from its ranks. Forget all the scout troops that meet in spaces funded by our tax dollars, like public schools and fire station halls. Forget that there’s a public monument to the Boy Scouts in the heart of Washington, DC, within spitting dis tance of the White House. Forget that every president of the United States, including Bill Clinton, serves as an hon orary BSA president. The battle the BSA waged with James Dale, former Eagle Scout and now gay activist, was as big as the Boy Scouts them selves: It was nothing less than a fight over what it means to be a boy in this country. Gorgeous, Private 1 + acre lots behind h Harris YMCA on Sharon Hills Rd. Call motivated builder/seller (704) 442-2516 for information According to the BSA and the high court that upheld the group’s right to discriminate, American boys should definitely not be gay — at least not openly so —- or even accepting of those who are. Given this willful bigotry, you might find some of the precepts listed in the official Scout Law as ironic as I do: “A Scout tells the truth”; “A Scout...seeks to understand others. He re spects those with ideas and customs other than his own”; “A Scout has the courage to stand for what he thinks is right even if others laugh at or threaten him”; “A Scout is a friend to all.” But my favorite is: “A Scout understands there is strength in being gentle.” These are wonderful principles to teach boys, who are too often socialized to be macho bul lies and ridiculed as “sissies” and “fags” if they fall shott of the hypermasculinity mark. In the case the BSA made, though, these admirable precepts were overshadowed by another one, which was as selectively highlighted as passages from Leviticus are by religious homophobes: Scouts should be “morally straight.” And there’s the rub: A majority of Ameri cans see morality as incongruous with homo sexuality, a term still often viewed as synony mous with sin, perversion and pedophilia. However, nowhere in the Scout manual does it mention homosexuality. Of course, gay men, lesbians, and their allies could sit back and take the Supreme Court’s validation of the Boy Scouts’ prejudice in stride. Evan Wolfson, the Lambda Legal Defense attorney who repre sented Dale, downgraded the BSA’s victory to a “pyrrhic” one. “They have won the dubious right to be bigoted,” Wolfson said, taking the high ground. Or then again, we could do what we do so well and fight back against the further narrow ing of boyhood’s definition, the teaching of prejudice and intolerance to another genera tion of young men. Some good ideas for action appear on the web site of Scouting for All (www.scoutingforall .org), a grassroots group devoted to pressuring the BSA to end its anti-gay discrimination. Among the group’s most intriguing suggestions is one that would hit the Boy Scouts in its all- important wallet. The United Way (www.unitedway.org) is the Boy Scouts’ biggest funder, and many local chapters have anti-discrimination policies. Scouting for All recommends writing to the Q-Notes ▼ July 22, 2000 ▼ PAGE 11 chapter nearest you to question the United Way’s continued funding of the BSA. In one recent and related move, the Com mission on Human Rights and Opportunities of Connecticut (which has a state anti-discrimi nation law covering sexual orientation) unani mously voted to remove the Boy Scouts from the list of charities that can receive money from state payroll contributions to the United Way. Here’s a suggestion of my own: Write to President Clinton and urge him to resign his honorary leadership of the Boy Scouts. When asked about the Boy Scout decision, Clinton reiterated his opposition to anti-gay disctimi- nation and his disappointment that the admin istration had been unable “to do mote in some areas.” Now he has an opportunity to make a major statement, which, with only six months left in office, he can well afford to do. In fighting back on this important issue, we can make a stand for all boys, who should have the chance to grow up respecting and being respected by others. T [Paula Martinac is the author of seven books. She can be reached care of this publication or at LNcolumn@aol.com. For more “Lesbian No tions, ” visit www.planetout.com.] FACTS S#OfHERGUYS CALL THE GOOD STUFF SATURDAYS lUSIUBLIM ICCCI3IC 2301 FREEDOM DRIVE, CHARLOTTE, NC (704) 373-9124
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