from Gay Activism in the Schools

May 31, 2007 - Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of Georgia is targeting the annual Boy Scouts conference in Atlanta on May 30-31.

PFLAG is urging the Boy Scouts to overturn its policy against openly homosexual leaders and members. Dale Merkle, a member of the Atlanta PFLAG stated: "I don't know which is worse, that the Boy Scouts of America discriminate the way they do, or that they think it's okay to flaunt this discrimination in Atlanta, a city that for many people is synonymous with the civil rights movement. I would hope that - at the very least - a discussion of this outdated policy would be on the agenda for this important meeting, but it appears that the current Board of the Boy Scouts of America organization simply doesn't care about fairness."

Macon, George PFLAG co-President Rene Sanchez noted: "Scouting has always been about producing young men of character and integrity. Most young people today understand that anti-gay policies are bigotry, so the Scouts' policy of anti-gay discrimination must seem tragically out of step for today's members."

NARTH President Joseph Nicolosi, Ph.D., has observed: "This is a tragic situation for the Boy Scouts. They have an important mission--building character in young men--but they don't want homosexual behavior occurring on their troop outings, and they don't want openly gay men offering themselves as role models and leaders to the boys.

"The only solution here is to respect diversity--'live and let live.' Allow the Scouts to be the Scouts--and let gays create their own youth groups according to their own moral code.

"The tragedy of this situation is that gay activists would rather destroy the Scouts than permit them to retain their longtime policy, based in the Scouts' moral code that same-sex acts are wrong."