January 1999
The Boy Scouts and Discrimination
By ERIC STRONG
am a former member of the Boy Scouts of America. I was active for seven years, serving in numerous
leadership positions and assisting in countless community service projects. In June of 1994,
I was honored by receiving the Eagle Award, in a joint ceremony with a fellow scout
with whom I had been together with since my early days as a Cub Scout.
Scouting was an important part of my life as I was growing up. The experiences I had through the scouts were
among the most rewarding of my childhood. Whether it was the trip to the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico that
every scout dreams of, or just a weekend camping trip
in the Pocono Mountains, our troop always managed to have a great time while concurrently
learning a bit about honor, responsibility, and maturity. The friends I made as a scout were among my closest,
and although I no longer keep in touch with some of them, I will always remember the times we shared together.
As a scout, we are taught many things. Certianly there is a fair share of camping and survival skills, first
aid and the endless hours of knot tying. However, something more important was always there. As we grew and
matured, we became more aware of the meaning of respect and of the responsibilities we had as members of a greater
society. We discovered the importance of maintaining a strong sense of citizenship to both our community and
our nation, and we learned just what being an American was all about.
It is thus ironic that the attitude and beliefs which scouting helped to foster within me have led to a feeling
of personal sadness and disappointment with the Boy Scouts of America. I am a strong believer in the notion that
all members of our society share a responsibility to that society to help better their community and the world to
the best of their ability. And in return for this, our society has a responsibility to guarantee the rights and
freedoms of all people. In America, our government calls this contract the Constitution, and this single piece
of paper has helped our country rise to the position it has today as a leader in championing civil rights and
personal freedoms across the globe. I therefore fail to understand some of the attitudes championed by the Boy
Scout of America, one of the most "American" of all organizations I know.
Scouting has taught me respect - respect for myself and my family and my friends, but more importantly, respect
for all people. Along with this, comes respect for all beliefs. Certainly, we cannot be expected to agree or
even understand some of these beliefs, but above all else, we must respect them. I am deeply saddened by the Boy
Scouts of America's position on several recent court cases involving respect for the ideas of our fellow man.
Our Constitution, our government, and the people of our nation support the notion that differing ideas on religion
and the intimate aspects of one's personal life are all protected by a universal law of humanity in that all people
have the right to believe whatever they want to believe and to love whomever they choose to love. These are among
those freedoms on which this country was founded. It would seem only logical then, that the Boy Scouts should
also support these freedoms, as they present themselves as the upholders of good citizenship and of American
ideals. Well, freedom of thought and freedom of choice are the most American of all ideals.
When I received my Eagle Scout award four and a half years ago, my scoutmaster said that once a scout becomes an
Eagle, he is always an Eagle, and no one can ever take that away. However, whereas I once was proud to say "I am
an Eagle Scout", I am now embarrassed and ashamed. Thus, after much thought and deep regret, I voluntarily
surrendered my Eagle award, because I believe that all people are guaranteed an absolute freedom of thought, and
this belief apparently is contradictory to the beliefs endorsed by this organization. In addition, I encourage any other
Eagle Scouts out there who feel as I do to write to the Boy Scouts of America. Let them know that you don't
believe in discrimination and are not interested in being associated with those who do.
