Eagle Scout and Father Renounces his Award

[Andara Bledin]

In an open letter to The Boy Scouts of America, Matthew Hitchens has publicly and eloquently renounced his Eagle Scout status over their stance on homosexuality.

He calls for more scouts to do the same, to publicly sever ties with an organization that practices bigotry, until such time as they practice the values that they preach.

^-.-^

[telecom_goddess]

Good. It's about time these types of organizations learn that homophobia is not helping anyone.

[HYHYBT]

Cutting ties to an organization only serves to move it further from where you want it to be. Unless you're a major donor, of course.

(That's why, for example, the Episcopal Church didn't have much opposition to adopting official blessings for same-sex couples; those who would object mostly had already left.)

[Andara Bledin]

Holding ties to an organization with practices of which you don't approve but that you also have no input regarding does no good and gives the impression that you support those practices.

Publicly severing ties until such time as they reform, and calling for others to do the same will bring attention to the issue and make it an actual issue instead of just the grousing of some members.

^-.-^

[Hyena Dandy]

The Boy Scouts often say that they're being 'neutral' on the issue.

What people don't realize is that there is no 'neutral' option when you are holding power.

I can be neutral on whether or not the Boy Scouts should let gays in. I'm not in the boy scouts. I never was. I hold no power over that organization.

If I DID, I could no longer be neutral.

It's not like a referee in a fight staying 'neutral' by enforcing the rules fairly against both people. It's more like a referee deciding to be 'neutral' on whether or not we should enforce rules in a match.