Must-see morning clip: The Boy Scouts of America makes progress…sort of

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:30:00 +0000

The Boy Scouts of America recently lifted a ban on homosexuality, allowing troop members to be openly gay -- but maintains that scout leaders cannot be gay. "They're happy to welcome anyone with homosexual thoughts up until the age when they're old enough to act on them," joked John Oliver on "The Daily Show."

The decision, still discriminatory, obviously needs work. But even so, conservative television host Pat Robertson is not pleased: "To rip apart an organization that has done so much good for young people, the Boy Scouts -- to see that torn up -- in order to accommodate, you know, young kids that want to do sex with each other [shakes head]."

Do Boy Scouts get a badge for surveying members whether it’s OK to be gay?

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:31:00 +0000

If they handed out badges for progressive thinking, the Boys of Scouts of America would still have a long way to go toward earning itself one. The organization, which has in recent years been fighting back hard for its right to keep "open or avowed homosexuals" out of its ranks, has of late been making noises that would indicate a softening of its stance. In January, the Scouts organization daringly announced it was "potentially discussing" a change in its policy in the wake of public pressure to ease its restrictions. This week, it has further tested the waters, unveiling a survey sent to "1.1 million scouts and their families" across the nation. Scouts spokesman Deron Smith told the New York Times this week that the responses will be presented to the group's leaders in May, and that "no specific weights have been assigned to any particular element, and the report will be reviewed as a whole."

Salon.com > BSA

Must-see morning clip: The Boy Scouts of America makes progress…sort of

Do Boy Scouts get a badge for surveying members whether it’s OK to be gay?