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Showing posts with the label Eagle Scout

Boy Scouts of America ban troop leader who came out as homosexual on NBC News

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SEATTLE, WA , April 2, 2014  – The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) have removed a Seattle-area troop leader and banned him from the organization for going public with his homosexuality, in what is thought to be the first such case since the BSA  voted  to allow openly homosexual youth, but not adults, to join. Scoutmaster Geoff McGrath, 49, a former Eagle Scout and leader of Troop 98 in Rainier Beach, had his BSA membership revoked Monday after an  NBC News  reporter  contacted  the organization seeking comment for a profile the network was doing on “the first openly gay Scoutmaster in the nation.”  It turned out McGrath’s superiors had been unaware he was homosexual, although he had previously been ejected from the Scouts at age 22 after coming out to his troop leaders, is “married” to another man, and has been a vocal critic of BSA policies regarding homosexuals.  His brother and nephew even participated in a bike ride from Seattle to BSA headquarters in Denton, TX to p

Not all children raised by gay parents support gay marriage: I should know, I’m one of them

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June 3, 2013 ( thePublicDiscourse ) - During the oral arguments about Proposition 8 , Justice Anthony Kennedy referred to children being raised by same-sex couples. Since I was one of those children—from ages 2-19, I was  raised by a lesbian mother with the help of her partner —I was curious to see what he would say. I also eagerly anticipated what he would say because I had taken great professional and social risk to file an amicus brief with Doug Mainwaring ( who is gay and opposes gay marriage ), in which we explained that children deeply feel the loss of a father or mother, no matter how much we love our gay parents or how much they love us. Children feel the loss keenly because they are powerless to stop the decision to deprive them of a father or mother, and the absence of a male or female parent will likely be irreversible for them. Over the last year I’ve been in frequent contact with adults who were raised by parents in same-sex partnerships. They are terrified of sp

Adult offspring of lesbians says homosexual marriage is bad for kids

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TESTIMONY: BISEXUAL MAN RAISED BY LESBIANS SAYS IT HURTS KIDS Psychologists come from the same field that used to have a “consensus” that homosexuality was a mental disorder. Neither field is equipped to answer the deeper existential dilemmas of legally removing fatherhood or motherhood as a human principle, which is what total “marriage equality” would entail. I support same-sex civil unions and foster care , but I have always resisted the idea that government should encourage same-sex couples to imagine that their partnerships are indistinguishable from actual marriages. Such a self-definition for gays would be based on a lie, and anything based on a lie will backfire. The richest and most successful same-sex couple still cannot provide a child something that the poorest and most struggling spouses can provide: a mom and a dad. Having spent forty years immersed in the gay community, I have seen how that reality triggers anger and vicious recrimination from same-sex coupl

Not all children raised by gay parents support gay marriage: I should know, I’m one of them

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June 3, 2013 ( thePublicDiscourse ) - During the oral arguments about Proposition 8 , Justice Anthony Kennedy referred to children being raised by same-sex couples. Since I was one of those children—from ages 2-19, I was  raised by a lesbian mother with the help of her partner —I was curious to see what he would say. I also eagerly anticipated what he would say because I had taken great professional and social risk to file an amicus brief with Doug Mainwaring ( who is gay and opposes gay marriage ), in which we explained that children deeply feel the loss of a father or mother, no matter how much we love our gay parents or how much they love us. Children feel the loss keenly because they are powerless to stop the decision to deprive them of a father or mother, and the absence of a male or female parent will likely be irreversible for them. Over the last year I’ve been in frequent contact with adults who were raised by parents in same-sex partnerships. They are terrified of spea

Scouts of America Homosexual compromise still bring confusion to young people

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The Boy Scouts of America will propose a measure to allow openly gay members to join the Scouts for the first time in its century-long history, despite the fact that a survey found almost two-thirds of stakeholders support the current policy, the organization announced on Friday.  The resolution would allow homosexual scouts to join, but ban adult homosexuals from being scoutmasters. “No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone,” the proposal states. The Scouts board has decided to allow  1,400 members to vote on May 20  on the measure after declining to take a position in February. The BSA released a statement saying it had received 200,000 responses to its questionaire on the policy. In a  summary of its findings , it found, “Respondents support the current policy by a 61 percent to 34 percent margin.” Fully “72 percent of chartered organizations support” the current policy they announced. C

Boy Scouts asking for input on gay membership

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Eagle Scout Badge, Type 6 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) IRVING, TX , March 11, 2013, ( LifeSiteNews.com ) – The Boy Scouts of America are asking for citizens across the country to express their opinion about the BSA's policy barring open homosexuals from joining the group as members or scoutmasters. In a tiny link at the top of their website, the Scouts announced their review of the policy. A second link simply asks readers, “ Share your feedback .” Last July, the 100-year-old outdoor group announced it would  maintain its moral standards for members and leaders . However, in January the national scouting organization  bowed to pressure to reconsider  the policy. A decision was expected last month. However, roughly 20 percent of the youth members' councils asked for  the decision to be delayed until May , when 1,400 members can vote at their upcoming meeting in Grapevine, Texas . The BSA issued a statement at the time saying “due to the complexity of this issue, th

Boy Scouts delay decision on gay policy until May

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History of the Boy Scouts of America (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) February 6, 2013, ( LifeSiteNews.com ) – The Boy Scouts of America has decided to postpone a vote on whether to change its policy on homosexuality until its annual meeting in May. The BSA board, meeting near Dallas, had been expected to vote on the issue today. "After careful consideration and extensive dialogue within the scouting family, along with comments from those outside the organization, the volunteer officers of the Boy Scouts of America's National Executive Board concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy," the BSA said in a statement. About 20 percent of youth members' councils had asked for the delay until May, when 1,400 members can vote at their meeting in Grapevine, Texas . Bryan Fischer , a host on American Family Radio , called the announcement a “big win for the pro-family movement