National
Council, Boy Scouts of America
1325 West Walnut Hill Lane, Sum 326
P.O. Box 152079
Irving, TX 75038
It is my understanding is that you are considering extending your ban on homosexuals in scouting, effectively making the ban permanent. Having been an Eagle Scout since approximately 1962, when I received that award in Troop 280, Syosset, New York, with great effort and honor, I am dismayed that you are even considering this counter-productive and reactionary response.
It is inconceivable
to me that you would continue eliminating the chance for any American youth to
have the opportunities for learning and growth that scouting can provide. It
appears that you have in effect tossed the Scout Law out the window and lost
all sense of direction and leadership yourselves, when you should be providing
that very leadership and direction.
Do you
even remember the Scout Law, which I memorized and took to heart in the late
fifties, like millions of other young men, and can recall to this day, more
than half a century later? A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,
courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
Not only
does this official definition of a scout have absolutely no bearing on a
scout's sexual tendencies, it flies in the face of how you, scouting's alleged
leaders, are now behaving: You are clearly NOT being helpful, friendly,
courteous, or kind, particularly to some of our most needy youths. It is a
small leap to conclude that you are not being at all brave in standing up for
what scouting allegedly stands for: To train youth in responsible
citizenship, character development, and self-reliance.
Worse
yet, you are ignoring truth if not running away from it: Almost every account from
someone proclaiming to be gay, along with the bulk of scientific research, concludes
that homosexuality does not develop over time, but is a trait one is born with
and can neither be "managed" or "cured." Given that homosexuals have contributed
as much to society as heterosexuals, any argument that homosexuality is a somehow
criminal cannot be taken seriously. By willfully running away from this readily
available information, you are not just avoiding bravery, you are setting a
flagship example of personal cowardice, turning the fundamental premise and
promise of scouting on its head.
Perhaps worse than the above, I fear you are
about to take a firm stand that homosexuality is somehow immoral, and that gays
are to be shunned, avoided, and--as will be the case--further harassed, bullied,
ostracized, and made fun of in every possible way, further advancing the high
prevalence of suicide amongst young men.
I do not think that "perverse" is too strong
a word to describe whatever infiltration has occurred to scouting in recent
decades, nor do I think it is too strong a measure to rest solidly on
previously formed and stated goals and purposes of scouting. Seeking out and
seriously enforcing penalties for violations of these reasonable and
commendable ideals would surely be a boon to the image and reality of scouting,
bring a screeching halt to the present hypocrisy and abuses of those who claim
to "be scouts," but who fail miserably to even attempt to live up to the Scout
Law.
But I have said enough, if these points are
to make any difference at all. I would note, for the record, that I spent
twenty years successfully teaching elementary school, more than double that
time doing freelance writing, appearing at public hearings on environmental and
other major public issues, acquiring two patents, living off the grid for 15
years in a solar-powered home, running for Federal Senate, raising a family,
and achieving the status of valedictorian at a military college. This is not to
boast but to hopefully demonstrate that I am a productive member of society,
who thinks and cares deeply about the direction we are all headed in. And also to
state emphatically that these achievements can be traced in large measure to
the character building that I was exposed to through several years of scouting
experiences.
It is for these reasons that I am returning
my Eagle Scout Award to you: Scouting is no longer what was meant to be, but in
fact quite the opposite. In the event that the BSA decides to stand on the firm
ground of the Scout Law, laid down in essence over a century ago, regarding
what a scout is or at least should strive to be, and having held up well since
then of its own accord, I would be proud to still consider myself an Eagle
Scout, along with what this accolade truly once stood for.
I wish you the best of luck in your upcoming
decision, and courteously encourage you to ponder these points, along with the
body of scouting and its stated purposes which have been developed and refined over
the past century.
Sincerely,
Daniel Geery
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