Eric Jones was an
Eagle Scout with the Boys Scouts of America [BSA] for nearly 10 years, but that
all came to end this past weekend when, while working as a counselor at a BSA
summer camp, Eric told the camp director that he was gay.
And it was over.
"I'd been working
on coming out," Eric said. "I thought it was time to have my life of
scouting and my other life come together."
But after saying the
words, “I’m gay,” the camp director asked Eric to leave. Oh, but first the
director blamed the BSA, saying Eric deserved “to be there, but he had to
follow the policy of BSA."
Or, um, you could stand
up and say ‘No.’
The BSA has a long, long
anti-gay tradition of barring openly gay males from joining the
organization—and of barring openly gay women, and mothers, like Jennifer Tyrrell, of being Den
mothers. Folks say the organization is “reviewing” a resolution that would end
the 102-year-old policy, but a BSA spokesman insisted that there weren't any
current plans to change it.
Of course not, a
hundred-plus years of hate is hard to end.
Eric Jones knew of the
anti-gay policy before coming out, but he had hoped the camp director would
overlook it because he’d been working at the camp for five years. Still, Eric
Jones is somewhat pleased with the outcome: "This
is definitely good for me. I'm generally happy."
But he still feels the
discrimination for being gay, and being asked to leave an organization that he
has loved for the last ten years, but says he has no regrets even though he's
lost a major part of his life.
“I have to thank BSA for making the person I
am, for being the person who stands up for what I believe in.”
Too bad the BSA doesn’t
practice what they teach.
Sidenote: Eric's story was filmed and will be part of a documentary from director Ryan James Yezak, entitled "Second Class Citizens."
They are heading in the wrong direction
ReplyDeleteAnd the BSA recently announced that after a two-year confidential review, they're keeping their policy banning gay scouts and leaders. And, since this it all done confidentially, the BSA will not say who made up the review committee or how they were chosen. Shameful and ignorant.
ReplyDeleteThey will have to change from within and it will be very, very slow.
ReplyDeletesigh. one step forward for him as an individual, 102 steps back for the organization he had such high regard for.
ReplyDeletexxalainaxx
Good for him!
ReplyDeleteThe best part is that he immediately recognized the fact that they don't practice what they preach.
I'll bet that this brave action will have more influence on those that knew him in BSA, by his absence...
How about someone(s) starting an organization simply called, "The Scouts" and let the "Boy Scouts" fall by the wayside.
ReplyDeleteI think Max has the right idea!
ReplyDeleteAll fair-minded parents should remove their sons from the ranks of BSA immediately. And the rest of us should keep close tabs on the BSA to be certain that taxpayer dollars are in no way used by the organization.