On the Boy Scouts

The Boy Scouts of America have demonstrated the "right" to bar homosexuals from the Scoutmaster ranks, as the US Supreme Court has determined such action is within their constitutional rights. Even so, supporters of gay rights have taken the offensive against the scouts. Many funders, government agencies, and other groups have banned the Boy Scouts from receiving or using any of their resources (monetary or otherwise). The organization claim they based their decision on their "anti-discrimination," policy, of which the Boy Scouts are in violation. That is an exaggerated spin on this situation; these organizations are in fact discriminatory themselves – discriminating against the Boy Scouts of America for holding a different moral value than their own.

The BSA believes homosexuality is immoral (at least so far as to say that gays are not well suited to be scoutmasters to children). This clearly represents discrimination by the Boy Scouts, but discrimination based on a moral, religious code. The view of the opposition is not that all discrimination is wrong, and particularly not that discrimination based on a moral view, but merely that discrimination against homosexuals is wrong (most likely stemming from their own belief that homosexuality is natural and/or not immoral). However, discrimination against religious and social conservatives, like the Boy Scouts, is perfectly permissible and desirable. Thus, these foundation and other agencies ban the Boy Scouts, based on their differing beliefs about morality. While these groups claim they opposed all discrimination, they exclude situations in which an organization or individual holds an opposing view from their own. These organizations hold that the Boy Scouts have no right to exclude a group they feel is morally reprehensible, while maintaining they themselves have every right to do so.

If these groups wish to turn from their hypocrisy, they must admit that their decision was not based on a true "anti-discrimination" policy. They must concede that the BSA has every right to ban a group on moral grounds, just as they have that right. They must therefore admit their ban on the BSA is based solely on their differing moral beliefs concerning homosexuality – i.e. that a homosexual would make a good role model for youth, while a religious or social conservative would not.