The national controversy surrounding the Boy Scouts of America’s ban on gay scout leaders has reached Eugene, and public schools are considering whether to allow the organization to retain its privilege of recruiting students during school hours.
The controversy arose on a nationwide level last June when the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, affirmed the group’s standing as a private organization with the right to set its own standards for membership and leadership.
In Eugene, first the Bethel School District and now the 4J District have addressed the issue, trying to determine where the beliefs of a private organization fit in with the policies of schools.
The Bethel School District was the first in Oregon to react to the Supreme Court ruling.
In September, the Bethel school board voted unanimously to revoke the Boy Scouts’ ability to recruit members during the school day, a privilege the organization had shared with the Girl Scouts of the United States of America and Kidsports. The board decision was based on the belief that the Boy Scouts’ stance on gays conflicted with Bethel’s district policies against discrimination and harassment, district spokesman Craig Hawkins said.
The recruiting ban would have gone into effect next year, Hawkins said. But after speaking with school district attorney Joel Richards and receiving feedback from the community, the board rescinded its decision.
“When we got the original decision, we were flooded with community input, which was significantly in favor of the Boy Scouts,” Hawkins said. “Our board action has raised the level of discussion in the community. We’re done with the topic at this point.”
But discussion in the community continues, and the 4J School District is now reviewing the issue. The district’s Equity Committee is currently collecting information to make a recommendation to the district superintendent.
“There are three main questions that the committee is asking itself,” said Jim Slemp, assistant superintendent of the 4J School District.
First, should the Boy Scouts be allowed to recruit in schools; second, should the organization be allowed to use school facilities for meetings; and third, should schools sponsor scout troops?
“There were a lot of comments about how much good the Boy Scouts do,” Slemp said, referring to a Equity Committee meeting earlier this month. “We’re just checking things out and deciding what is best for the kids in our district.”
While the majority of the feedback received agreed that the Boy Scouts are a positive influence in the community, the issue is deciding exactly how the organization’s decision fits in with district policies and the sentiments of the community.
“Eugene is going to take its time here and make sure all sides are heard,” said Joel Richards, attorney for the Bethel and 4J school districts.
Another school in Broward County, Fla., took action against the Boy Scouts, but the Boy Scouts fought back with a lawsuit. The Boy Scouts considered the district’s action to be a violation of expressive association and that to exclude the organization from recruiting in schools goes against the constitution.
“The key thing here is Scouts are a private organization,” said Mike Marchese, assistant Boy Scout executive for Western Oregon. “We don’t want to be adversarial.”
The 90-year-old organization, which recently welcomed its 100-millionth youth member, is adamant that sexual orientation is not the topic, said Marchese. The organization represents itself as one that respects diversity and embraces people from all walks of life.
“We have never asked our members about their sexual preference, nor do we check on orientation of people who are already members,” Marchese said. “If someone is gay, they can be a scout leader as long as they aren’t an avowed homosexual and don’t bring it into our program.”
Much of the controversy arose when people were misinformed that the Boy Scouts of America was prohibiting gays from the organization, Marchese said. The issue isn’t about discounting homosexuality, he said, but any emphasis on sexuality.
“Any discussion of sexuality is reserved for the family,” Marchese said. “This is not an arena to talk about sex.”
And supporters of the Boy Scouts decision agree that the experience is an opportunity for young boys to grow, not a forum for sexual expression.
“In my family, Boy Scouts have been a wonderful experience for my boys,” said Jean Lorenz, whose two sons are involved with Boy Scouts. “They have learned, grown, became more self-confident.”
Lorenz said that being “morally straight” is part of the Boy Scouts oath, and that the Scouts have defined being non-homosexual as traditional morality.
But opponents of the Boy Scouts’ decision disagree.
Eugene resident Alicia Hays, who is gay, said her family used to be very involved with the Boy Scouts, and, before the Supreme Court decision, she expected her 6-year-old son to continue that tradition. When her son came home last year with a sticker saying “I want to be in Cub Scouts,” she and her partner had to explain to him having a two-mom family would keep him from being welcomed into the organization.
“I don’t want him exposed to an organization who doesn’t respect his family,” Hays said. “I respect their right to exclusivity, but I’m disappointed in the Boy Scouts’ choice because it [excludes] a lot of boys and families.”
The hardest part was explaining to her son the difference between the Boy Scouts and his school, Hays said. He didn’t understand the difference that it was the organization that didn’t welcome his family, not his school.
“If the Boy Scouts of America wants to use the school after hours, fine,” Hays said. “But they shouldn’t have special access to the kids.”