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U.S. Boy Scouts board member speaks out against gay ban
(Reuters) - Jim Turley, chairman and chief executive officer of Ernst & Young and a board member of the Boy Scouts of America, has joined calls to end the group's exclusion of gays.
Another Boy Scout board member, CEO Randall Stephenson of the telecommunications giant AT&T, said on Wednesday he favors diversity but did not go as far as Turley in speaking against the Scouts' policy.
In a statement issued by Ernst & Young, the global tax and consulting firm, Turley said he will "work from within" the Boy Scouts to help change its policy that prohibits gays from being members or leaders of one of America's largest youth organizations.
"I support the meaningful work of the Boy Scouts in preparing young people for adventure, leadership, learning and service. However, the membership policy is not one I would personally endorse," Turley said.
"As I have done in leading Ernst & Young to being a most inclusive organization, I intend to continue to work from within the BSA Board to actively encourage dialogue and sustainable progress."
Turley's announcement came in the wake of a petition on Change.org, the web-based social change platform, that was signed by 275,000 people calling for the Boy Scouts to end the group's ban on homosexuals.
The petition was started by Jennifer Tyrrell, an ousted lesbian den leader from Ohio. "We are at a tipping point, with national leaders within the Boy Scouts now taking a firm stand to help end discrimination," Tyrrell said in a statement issued by Change.org.
Tyrrell and others are now calling on Stephenson to join Turley in breaking with the Scouts' gay policy. In his statement Stephenson did not go as far as Turley, although he expressed support for diversity and appeared to agree with Turley's concept of change from within.
"Diversity and inclusion are part of AT&T's culture and operations, and we're proud to be recognized as a leader in this area," Stephenson said.
"We don't agree with every policy of every organization we support, nor would we expect them to agree with us on everything. Our belief is that change at any organization must come from within to be successful and sustainable."
BSA RESPECTS BOARD OPINIONS
Tyrrell praised Stephenson's record on gay rights at AT&T, but said support for the Boy Scouts gay policy could undermine its otherwise stellar reputation. "His company provides non-discrimination protections, healthcare benefits for same-sex partners, and much more for gay employees," Tyrrell said.
"The last thing AT&T wants is to undermine its excellent reputation for supporting LGBT people by failing to support a resolution that would bring equality to the Boy Scouts of America."
The Boy Scouts of America said in a statement on Wednesday it respects the opinions of its board members.
"While we have supporters and board members with different viewpoints on this issue ... we believe that good people can personally disagree on this topic and still work together to accomplish the mission Boy Scouts of America," the statement said.
The group, founded 102 years ago, has so far resisted calls to change its policy on homosexuals. "While the BSA does not proactively inquire about sexual orientation of employees, volunteers, or members, we do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the BSA," the Boy Scouts said in an earlier statement responding to the petition.
The campaign against the Boy Scouts' gay ban has gathered momentum in the past 18 months led by Tyrrell and Zach Wahls, a 20-year-old Eagle Scout who has two lesbian mothers.
Wahls, an engineering student at the University of Iowa who attained the organization's highest rank of Eagle Scout, became an Internet sensation in January 2011 when his address to the Iowa House of Representatives supporting gay civil unions logged more than 2.5 million views on YouTube.
Wahls also delivered Tyrrell's petition last month to the Boy Scouts of America annual board meeting in Orlando.
The petition urges the Scouts to reinstate Tyrrell, a 32-year-old lesbian mother from Bridgeport, Ohio, who was ousted as a Scout den leader and treasurer in April because of the gay exclusion policy.
The Boy Scouts of America in 2000 won a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing the organization to ban gays whose conduct, the Boy Scouts argued, violated its values.
The Boy Scouts of America claimed more than 1 million adult volunteers at the end of 2011. It was founded in 1910 as part of the international Scout movement established in Britain by General Robert Baden-Powell.
SOURCE: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/13/us-usa-scouts-gay-idUSBRE85C18V20120613
Another Boy Scout board member, CEO Randall Stephenson of the telecommunications giant AT&T, said on Wednesday he favors diversity but did not go as far as Turley in speaking against the Scouts' policy.
In a statement issued by Ernst & Young, the global tax and consulting firm, Turley said he will "work from within" the Boy Scouts to help change its policy that prohibits gays from being members or leaders of one of America's largest youth organizations.
"I support the meaningful work of the Boy Scouts in preparing young people for adventure, leadership, learning and service. However, the membership policy is not one I would personally endorse," Turley said.
"As I have done in leading Ernst & Young to being a most inclusive organization, I intend to continue to work from within the BSA Board to actively encourage dialogue and sustainable progress."
Turley's announcement came in the wake of a petition on Change.org, the web-based social change platform, that was signed by 275,000 people calling for the Boy Scouts to end the group's ban on homosexuals.
The petition was started by Jennifer Tyrrell, an ousted lesbian den leader from Ohio. "We are at a tipping point, with national leaders within the Boy Scouts now taking a firm stand to help end discrimination," Tyrrell said in a statement issued by Change.org.
Tyrrell and others are now calling on Stephenson to join Turley in breaking with the Scouts' gay policy. In his statement Stephenson did not go as far as Turley, although he expressed support for diversity and appeared to agree with Turley's concept of change from within.
"Diversity and inclusion are part of AT&T's culture and operations, and we're proud to be recognized as a leader in this area," Stephenson said.
"We don't agree with every policy of every organization we support, nor would we expect them to agree with us on everything. Our belief is that change at any organization must come from within to be successful and sustainable."
BSA RESPECTS BOARD OPINIONS
Tyrrell praised Stephenson's record on gay rights at AT&T, but said support for the Boy Scouts gay policy could undermine its otherwise stellar reputation. "His company provides non-discrimination protections, healthcare benefits for same-sex partners, and much more for gay employees," Tyrrell said.
"The last thing AT&T wants is to undermine its excellent reputation for supporting LGBT people by failing to support a resolution that would bring equality to the Boy Scouts of America."
The Boy Scouts of America said in a statement on Wednesday it respects the opinions of its board members.
"While we have supporters and board members with different viewpoints on this issue ... we believe that good people can personally disagree on this topic and still work together to accomplish the mission Boy Scouts of America," the statement said.
The group, founded 102 years ago, has so far resisted calls to change its policy on homosexuals. "While the BSA does not proactively inquire about sexual orientation of employees, volunteers, or members, we do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the BSA," the Boy Scouts said in an earlier statement responding to the petition.
The campaign against the Boy Scouts' gay ban has gathered momentum in the past 18 months led by Tyrrell and Zach Wahls, a 20-year-old Eagle Scout who has two lesbian mothers.
Wahls, an engineering student at the University of Iowa who attained the organization's highest rank of Eagle Scout, became an Internet sensation in January 2011 when his address to the Iowa House of Representatives supporting gay civil unions logged more than 2.5 million views on YouTube.
Wahls also delivered Tyrrell's petition last month to the Boy Scouts of America annual board meeting in Orlando.
The petition urges the Scouts to reinstate Tyrrell, a 32-year-old lesbian mother from Bridgeport, Ohio, who was ousted as a Scout den leader and treasurer in April because of the gay exclusion policy.
The Boy Scouts of America in 2000 won a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing the organization to ban gays whose conduct, the Boy Scouts argued, violated its values.
The Boy Scouts of America claimed more than 1 million adult volunteers at the end of 2011. It was founded in 1910 as part of the international Scout movement established in Britain by General Robert Baden-Powell.
SOURCE: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/13/us-usa-scouts-gay-idUSBRE85C18V20120613
El, you said:
"Way to look out for the pedo's Mike! I bet they're glad someone's on their side for once! "
See, you really just don't get it at all.
I was looking out for the gays - not the pedophiles! And that should have been crystal clear to everyone - even you el.
"The Boy Scouts of America in 2000 won a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing the organization to ban gays whose conduct, the Boy Scouts argued, violated its values."
You do realize what conduct the court was referring to, don't you? I've not read the decision but I cannot imagine that the court was referencing pedophilia when it wrote about "conduct" which violated Scouts' values. Pedophilia is a crime el and it wouldn't take a Supreme Court decision to settle the issue of whether pedophiles could be excluded from the Boy Scouts. The conduct was likely simply same-sex sex. In other words the BSA could exclude gay people from their organization. You immediately connected that with pedophilia and then tried to walk back from it.
Mike
"Way to look out for the pedo's Mike! I bet they're glad someone's on their side for once! "
See, you really just don't get it at all.
I was looking out for the gays - not the pedophiles! And that should have been crystal clear to everyone - even you el.
"The Boy Scouts of America in 2000 won a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing the organization to ban gays whose conduct, the Boy Scouts argued, violated its values."
You do realize what conduct the court was referring to, don't you? I've not read the decision but I cannot imagine that the court was referencing pedophilia when it wrote about "conduct" which violated Scouts' values. Pedophilia is a crime el and it wouldn't take a Supreme Court decision to settle the issue of whether pedophiles could be excluded from the Boy Scouts. The conduct was likely simply same-sex sex. In other words the BSA could exclude gay people from their organization. You immediately connected that with pedophilia and then tried to walk back from it.
Mike
I have no problem with gays and can sympathize with the gay leader that was let go. Should not happen. She has children and has a right to share in that experience with her children as well. I also feel like if this is based on a christian principal then they should also be able to exercise that right as well. So we have come to a pass where someone has to lose their right for the other to have it? I will only say I am glad my kids are grown.
Pedephiles go where there are children, period. I would be more concerned in this day and age about their screening process and the close monitoring of the children against such things. You find them in schools, churches at the beach and they look like you and me. Those are the ones that scare me. To my knowledge gay people just like the opposite sex. So I can see everyones point of view and this is just another of those things we are going to have to work thru.
Pedephiles go where there are children, period. I would be more concerned in this day and age about their screening process and the close monitoring of the children against such things. You find them in schools, churches at the beach and they look like you and me. Those are the ones that scare me. To my knowledge gay people just like the opposite sex. So I can see everyones point of view and this is just another of those things we are going to have to work thru.
Sorry... let me rephrase my original comment, so as not to imply that I think gay's & lesbians are pedo's:
"Touch my boys, act OR SPEAK inappropriately with any of them... I KEEL YOU!!!"
No implication of gays or lesbians being pedo's in that statement.
Way to look out for the pedo's Mike! I bet they're glad someone's on their side for once!
"Touch my boys, act OR SPEAK inappropriately with any of them... I KEEL YOU!!!"
No implication of gays or lesbians being pedo's in that statement.
Way to look out for the pedo's Mike! I bet they're glad someone's on their side for once!
... and here we go
Come on el - that's precisely what you implied. Right out of the box you immediately associated gays with pedophilia. It's not the least bit unusual to think that way - a lot of us make that leap.
Didn't mean to imply that gays & lesbians are pedo's. Sorry if it came across that way. I didn't read the article that way either, but then again, I'm hugely biased regarding this topic.
I see your struggle and where it's loosing you.
I see your struggle and where it's loosing you.
Well, I 100% agree with you that sexuality in general has no place in an organization like the Scouts...or any other type organization. And yes, there is a very good chance that it is someone who is trying to make a point that is making this an issue.
You'll also hear no argument from me that anyone crossing the line with a child should go to jail or...other.
I think where I am struggling is the implication that BECAUSE someone is gay they would be more likely to cross the line. Perhaps it's not intended to read that way, it's just how I am interpreting it. That's the part that is losing me I guess. Otherwise, I'm with you.
You'll also hear no argument from me that anyone crossing the line with a child should go to jail or...other.
I think where I am struggling is the implication that BECAUSE someone is gay they would be more likely to cross the line. Perhaps it's not intended to read that way, it's just how I am interpreting it. That's the part that is losing me I guess. Otherwise, I'm with you.
All I need to hear is, "... violated it's values...".
There is no gray area when it comes to Youth Protection.
It's black & white.
If I feel that an adult, gay OR straight, is even remotely crossing a line, no matter how fine that line is, I'm a) reporting it, and b) probably going to jail for a$$-kicking the person.
I have no bend in me as far as my boys are concerned, and would protect them to the death.
As far as allowing or disallowing gays & lesbians from being adult leaders... if they shut their traps about their sexual preference (which has no place being spouted off about), this wouldn't be an issue.
$10 bucks says it's an outspoken lesbian that started in on the boys about how it's 'okay to be a lesbian or gay' or something like that.
It's got NO place in the Program.
There is no gray area when it comes to Youth Protection.
It's black & white.
If I feel that an adult, gay OR straight, is even remotely crossing a line, no matter how fine that line is, I'm a) reporting it, and b) probably going to jail for a$$-kicking the person.
I have no bend in me as far as my boys are concerned, and would protect them to the death.
As far as allowing or disallowing gays & lesbians from being adult leaders... if they shut their traps about their sexual preference (which has no place being spouted off about), this wouldn't be an issue.
$10 bucks says it's an outspoken lesbian that started in on the boys about how it's 'okay to be a lesbian or gay' or something like that.
It's got NO place in the Program.
Mixed feelings on this issue. If I am not mistaken, the Boy Scouts are based on Christian principals no? Then I do believe that they have the right to follow Christian type practices, as long as it's across the board if that makes sense.
My issue is if they are having a problem with gay Scout Masters because of their direct interaction with the boys. That would be assuming that gay men are pedophiles, and we know that is simply not true. In fact, most pedophiles are not gay...proven fact. Plus, this is over a lesbian mother right? So that certainly makes no sense.
I would need to know more I guess as to why this ban is in place. A private organization certainly has the right to have it's own rules, but at the same time discrimination isn't ok anywhere. Yep, mixed feelings and would need to better understand the reasoning behind it.
My issue is if they are having a problem with gay Scout Masters because of their direct interaction with the boys. That would be assuming that gay men are pedophiles, and we know that is simply not true. In fact, most pedophiles are not gay...proven fact. Plus, this is over a lesbian mother right? So that certainly makes no sense.
I would need to know more I guess as to why this ban is in place. A private organization certainly has the right to have it's own rules, but at the same time discrimination isn't ok anywhere. Yep, mixed feelings and would need to better understand the reasoning behind it.
"The Boy Scouts of America in 2000 won a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing the organization to ban gays whose conduct, the Boy Scouts argued, violated its values."
So the problem isn't with gays... the problem is with gays that violate the BSA's values.
Speaking as an Assistant Scoutmaster and overprotective adult, I see absolutely NO problem with the BSA holding onto and upholding this ban.
Touch my boys, or act inappropriately with any of them... I KEEL YOU!!!
So the problem isn't with gays... the problem is with gays that violate the BSA's values.
Speaking as an Assistant Scoutmaster and overprotective adult, I see absolutely NO problem with the BSA holding onto and upholding this ban.
Touch my boys, or act inappropriately with any of them... I KEEL YOU!!!
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