Boy Scouts and respecting rights

Gazette Editorial Board

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The Boy Scouts of America organization is alive and well in Eastern Iowa. The Hawkeye Area Council, which serves 7,500 youths in seven counties, ranked among the nation's top five BSA councils for membership growth in the year ended June 30.

We're glad to see such a trend. The overall experiences and values communicated through Boy Scouts benefit the boys as well as society. Consider the Boy Scout Oath:

“On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.”

The oath is also cited by some critics of the BSA's policy that bans openly gay members and leaders and was recently reaffirmed by its national leadership. In explaining the intended meaning of “morally straight,” the BSA includes the expectation that “you should respect and defend the rights of all people.”

The BSA ban on gays, critics point out, disrespects the rights of homosexuals and lesbians. They point to other private organizations, such as the Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, and Big Brothers Big Sisters, which do not exclude gays.

This debate should not be about an organization encouraging or teaching sexual orientation of any kind. Certainly, the BSA, as does every youth group, must guard its young members against all sexual predators, regardless of a violator's sexual orientation. And the BSA should always be able to deny membership to anyone whose inappropriate behavior with other members detracts from its mission.

The BSA also has a constitutional right to its exclusionary policy. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled so in 2000, citing the BSA's “right to freedom of expressive association” protected by the First Amendment.

We certainly appreciate and support the First Amendment. Any change in the Boy Scouts policy on gays should come from within the organization, not forced on it by a government dictate.

That said, many people involved in scouting think the time has come to be more inclusive. Hundreds of thousands have signed petitions opposing the ban or related incidents. They recognize that denying membership strictly on sexual orientation also denies some youth and adults a valuable opportunity to learn and teach the many useful skills and timeless values for which Boy Scouts long has been respected.

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