Boyscouts survey members on possible anti-gay policy

[brittone2]

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/13/17297889-can-a-gay-boy-scout-share-a-tent-with-another-boy-boy-scouts-survey-members-on-anti-gay-policy#comments

I was feeling somewhat optimistic there for a while.

[sariana]

Yes, I got that survey. I filled it out but don't have high hopes for the response from the organization as a whole. We'll see.

[BayGirl2]

This post got my hopes up until I clicked through and it showed the comments to the article. 70+ likes to a comment that "homosexuality is evil and deviant"? Really?!?!

I guess I forget how appalling some people still are in this country, I thought I had just fallen into a time warp to 1985.

[rlu]

This post got my hopes up until I clicked through and it showed the comments to the article. 70+ likes to a comment that "homosexuality is evil and deviant"? Really?!?!

I guess I forget how appalling some people still are in this country, I thought I had just fallen into a time warp to 1985.

Please don't listen to the trolls. It's appalling what people will write to get a rise out of people.

I'm extremely curious (and anxious) to see what the survey results are. The survey also asks for your council (i.e. location) and it would be interesting to see how the responses fall out by location.

[queenmama]

I wish Henry was old enough that we'd been able to participate.

Lara

[sariana]

I wish Henry was old enough that we'd been able to participate.

Lara

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Is Henry a Scout? The survey was sent to families of Scouts. My DS is 8 and is a Cub Scout, so we got the survey (in an email).

[wellyes]

Anonymous article commentators do not reflect reality. I don't know what the survey will say, but I wouldn't get afraid based on trolls.

[dogmom]

This post got my hopes up until I clicked through and it showed the comments to the article. 70+ likes to a comment that "homosexuality is evil and deviant"? Really?!?!

I guess I forget how appalling some people still are in this country, I thought I had just fallen into a time warp to 1985.

Oh, go over the the Family Research Council and check out their petition, they thing the Boy Scouts were "Unwilling to make a principled stand" because they didn't decide to keep the ban by themselves and they are actually putting it up for a vote.

The groups around me don't care, but it does give me pause if the national organization does support the local groups that include gay scouts and leaders. I worry I am being a hypocrite if I let me son get involved.

[queenmama]

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Is Henry a Scout? The survey was sent to families of Scouts. My DS is 8 and is a Cub Scout, so we got the survey (in an email).

Yes, we've been in Scouts for 6 years. He's a Boy Scout First Class. We didn't get a survey and the website said it was for boys 14+ and their families.

Are you guys in a leadership role?

ETA: I misunderstood the article. Boys 14+ as well as parents, leaders, etc. Now I'm wondering why we weren't surveyed.

Lara

[brittone2]

Well, I just skimmed right over the comments since they were focused on homophobia. My lack of optimism has nothing to do with the comments...I personally am doubtful the results of this will be used to reverse the current policy, but I hope I am wrong. I'm wondering if the results of the survey will be used as justification for maintaining the status quo. Perhaps the surveys aren't typically given much weight. I have no idea.

[wellyes]

I will say, any time you are putting a basic human dignity issue up for a vote, you've already lost.

[o_mom]

Yes, we've been in Scouts for 6 years. He's a Boy Scout First Class. We didn't get a survey and the website said it was for boys 14+ and their families.

Are you guys in a leadership role?

ETA: I misunderstood the article. Boys 14+ as well as parents, leaders, etc. Now I'm wondering why we weren't surveyed.

Lara

Interesting. We didn't get a survey either - two cub scouts here.

I went to our council website and there was a link where I could fill in our info, along with a membership number and it said I would get the survey within 24 hrs. Fingers crossed.



ETA: link to our council here: http://www.crossroadsbsa.org/ On the first page there is a link to the national website to sign up for the survey - I'm not sure if it is specific to our council/region, but if you can't find a link on your own council's page, try this one.

[o_mom]

Well, I just skimmed right over the comments since they were focused on homophobia. My lack of optimism has nothing to do with the comments...I personally am doubtful the results of this will be used to reverse the current policy, but I hope I am wrong. I'm wondering if the results of the survey will be used as justification for maintaining the status quo. Perhaps the surveys aren't typically given much weight. I have no idea.

I don't know what to think. My guess is that they were concerned with the previous survey results being swayed by one side or another - I know there were calls on both sides of the issue to 'vote early and often' :tongue5: It was also probably not easy to wade through the volume of text based results in any meaningful way along with trying to weed out any false claims where people claimed to be a scout or parent.

I am hopeful, but not optimistic as there are still so many extremely prejudiced people with a lot of influence out there.

[BayGirl2]

Anonymous article commentators do not reflect reality. I don't know what the survey will say, but I wouldn't get afraid based on trolls.

I know that, and I usually try to avoid reading online comments altogether. For some reason my browser went right to the bottom of the page and I got sucked in. People are just.... Idiots.

[sariana]

For those of you who did not get the survey, do you normally get Scout announcements via email? I usually get several emails a week from Scouts, usually Scoutweek newsletter and sometimes other random news. This is in addition to the info sent out by the den leader.

If you normally get these emails but not the survey, check with your council. If you don't normally get emails, maybe you're not on the mailing list.

I am not in any kind of leadership role.

[sariana]

I will say, any time you are putting a basic human dignity issue up for a vote, you've already lost.

I agree with you, but I wanted to make sure my voice was heard in the survey. I wouldn't want the other side to win because I took a "principled stand" and abstained, KWIM?

[Green_Tea]

I will say, any time you are putting a basic human dignity issue up for a vote, you've already lost.

Exactly - and this is why my DS will not be a Boy Scout. The fact that this is an issue and that so many people within the organization disagree with allowing ALL boys and their parents to participate means this is a group we are unwilling to support.

[Corie]

For some reason my browser went right to the bottom of the page and I got sucked in. People are just.... Idiots.



This is what happened to me too.

[wendibird22]

I will say, any time you are putting a basic human dignity issue up for a vote, you've already lost.

Exactly. You have a mission statement that guides the work. Do what your missions says you do. If you live your mission a survey on opinions is not needed. The idea either aligns with your mission or it doesn't. Plain and simple.

[lcarlson90]

I completed the survey and my guess is that BSA isn't going to take a stand either way. I think they are going to leave it up the Pack's chartering organization. This way BSA doesn't have to take the heat because its up to the Pack's chartering organization. Our pack is chartered by a Catholic Church so I don't see them allowing gay boys and leaders if the decision is left up to them.

[queenmama]

I rarely get emails from BSA or even our council, most of it is from our troop.

I'm going to try to get in on this, thanks to o_mom for that link. It reminded me to check our council's page, and I'm finding no link or mention of a survey, though there are two letters posted on the matter.


I completed the survey and my guess is that BSA isn't going to take a stand either way. I think they are going to leave it up the Pack's chartering organization. This way BSA doesn't have to take the heat because its up to the Pack's chartering organization. Our pack is chartered by a Catholic Church so I don't see them allowing gay boys and leaders if the decision is left up to them.

You're probably right. Our troop & pack are chartered by the UMC and I'm not sure where they stand, as a quick Google shows that it seems to vary.

Lara

[kdeunc]

For those not receiving the survey you might want to check your spam folder. That is where mine was for some reason. It will be interesting to see how the results pan out and if national will make a stand.

[sariana]

Part of the problem with this survey is that it fails to solocit the opinions of those who have refused to let their sons join because of this ban. So instead of learning that there may be millions of potential members who are waiting for more tolerance before joining the organization, they will get responses from those who already support the BSA's tenets as they are. That doesn't really work so well, does it?

[mommylamb]

Part of the problem with this survey is that it fails to solocit the opinions of those who have refused to let their sons join because of this ban. So instead of learning that there may be millions of potential members who are waiting for more tolerance before joining the organization, they will get responses from those who already support the BSA's tenets as they are. That doesn't really work so well, does it?
:yeahthat: I totally agree with this.

[lcarlson90]

Part of the problem with this survey is that it fails to solocit the opinions of those who have refused to let their sons join because of this ban. So instead of learning that there may be millions of potential members who are waiting for more tolerance before joining the organization, they will get responses from those who already support the BSA's tenets as they are. That doesn't really work so well, does it?

I don't think that all the families who are part of cub scouting support the BSA's current position on homosexuality, I know I don't. My DS is 8 and I think the other benefits he gets from being a cub scout outweigh the fact that I don't agree with their stance on this issue.

[hellokitty]

Yes, we've been in Scouts for 6 years. He's a Boy Scout First Class. We didn't get a survey and the website said it was for boys 14+ and their families.

Are you guys in a leadership role?

ETA: I misunderstood the article. Boys 14+ as well as parents, leaders, etc. Now I'm wondering why we weren't surveyed.

Lara

We have two in cub scouts, so I'm thinking that is why we didn't get surveyed. This topic has been a non-issue in our council and pack. However, this will probably be our last yr in scouts. Our pack this yr has been drama filled with poor leadership, which is sad, and now I understand why there have been many here who had a bad experience with scouts, if you have a pack or den leader who isn't great, it makes a huge difference. The two yrs prior to this yr were wonderful, due to a great pack leader, but the drama queens ran off the good pack leader. We've discovered lego robotics through 4H and will do that instead. We had to drop something in order to do the lego robotics, so it's been an easy decision for scouts to be the activity that gets dropped. The BSA's stance on homosexuality has always bugged me, but on a local level it has been a non-issue and we live in a pretty conservative region. However, I still think it is ridiculous that it is an issue at ALL! I feel like asking them what century this is.

[sariana]

I don't think that all the families who are part of cub scouting support the BSA's current position on homosexuality, I know I don't. My DS is 8 and I think the other benefits he gets from being a cub scout outweigh the fact that I don't agree with their stance on this issue.

This is my situation almost verbatim. And it's why I made sure to participate in the survey.

[sariana]

We have two in cub scouts, so I'm thinking that is why we didn't get surveyed. This topic has been a non-issue in our council and pack. However, this will probably be our last yr in scouts. Our pack this yr has been drama filled with poor leadership, which is sad, and now I understand why there have been many here who had a bad experience with scouts, if you have a pack or den leader who isn't great, it makes a huge difference. The two yrs prior to this yr were wonderful, due to a great pack leader, but the drama queens ran off the good pack leader. We've discovered lego robotics through 4H and will do that instead. We had to drop something in order to do the lego robotics, so it's been an easy decision for scouts to be the activity that gets dropped. The BSA's stance on homosexuality has always bugged me, but on a local level it has been a non-issue and we live in a pretty conservative region. However, I still think it is ridiculous that it is an issue at ALL! I feel like asking them what century this is.

Sorry for quoting the whole thing, but I'm on my phone, which is not edit-friendly.

Anyway, I have an 8-year-old Wolf Cub Scout, and both DH and I got the survey. If you are interested in participating, you definitely should check with your council.