The Boy Scouts of America have forbidden a man from holding a leadership role with the organization due to his sexual orientation. Jon Langbert was removed from his role as part of a fundraising team after other parents lodged complaints about his open homosexuality.
Deron Smith, the director of public relations for the Boy Scouts of America, stated that the organization’s policy does not allow homosexuals or atheists to hold leadership roles—though Langbert is still welcome to volunteer.
Langbert was quick to decry that this effectively makes him a “second-class citizen.” He’s the father of a nine-year-old Cub Scout. His son has refused to participate in the Boy Scouts because of his father’s treatment.
It’s important to note that this is not uncharted territory for the scouting organization. In 2000, the Supreme Court upheld the freedom of private organizations—like the Boy Scouts—to determine their own membership criteria.
But not having an obligation to be inclusive is different from discrimination.
When the honorary head of their organization—the President of the United States—is making public addresses repudiating the recent trend of homosexual discrimination, it’s probably time for the Boy Scouts to move their agenda into the 21st century.
While the Boy Scouts of America may be a private organization, its role as a public not-for-profit agency means that it should be accountable to a higher standard of equity.
Raising youth in a homophobic environment is absurd, and could have a serious effect on their long-term development. Implying that there is something inherently wrong about homosexuality falls short of the “exceptional adulthood” that the Scouts claims to prepare children for.
It’s disappointing to see an organization founded on character building holding on to archaic concerns about sexual orientation.What part of discrimination builds character?
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