Scouting (was Re: Red/Blue debate ...)

[External Poster]

This posting is from: Gina
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Welcome to my life!

Try being a stealth Transsexual in charge of a Boy Scout troop. 95%
really good influence, 5% really bad. Driving by a bunch of religious
zealots. We had an interesting troop. I fired two leaders for using
anti-gay slurs with the guys, just because it was the wrong thing for
them to do.

Life is always fun.

Love ya,

Gina

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(This posting was entered by Gina, an external user of MyDLV.)

[annie]

> 95% really good influence, 5% really bad.

As someone who has been a member of both the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts (ask me in person if you're curious - both are verifiable), I do agree with these numbers.

As a whole, I think Scouting is a Good Thing for the most part. Scouting helps our young people learn such things as teamwork, citizenship, respect for the environment, and it helps build confidence, self-esteem, physical fitness, and yes, good character.

Unfortunately, I do admit that Scouting teaches conformity, and that the higher leadership can be incredibly intolerant of those whose belief system does not conform to what they think it should, or whose sociosexual orientation is anything other than Plain Vanilla Het-Cis.

> Driving by a bunch of religious zealots.

I know that the Unitarians, a well-established Protestant denomination having countless Founding Fathers and notable Americans as members, have been at odds with Scouting for decades now. I'm not sure of where things stand, but I know there was quite a roo over the Religion In Life award which was at one time given to both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

> I fired two leaders for using anti-gay slurs with the guys, just because it was the wrong thing for
> them to do.

I wish more Scouters would stick up for things like this. As you say, it was the wrong thing for them to do!