UUs Petition Boy Scouts to End Discrimination Against Gays, Agnostics

President of UUA "Disappointed" in Boy Scouts' Response

This "Petition to Reinstate UU Boy Scout Religion Awards" was sponsored by several members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, in Oakton, Virginia. It was presented to the BSA on October 9 with the following cover letter.

October 9, 1998

Jere B. Ratcliffe
Chief Scout Executive
PO Box 253079 Irving, TX 75015

Dear Mr. Ratcliffe:

We herewith submit a petition signed by 72 Eagle Scouts, 32 professional clergy and 493 people of faith in 41 states and 4 foreign countries seeking reinstatement of the "Religion in Life" and "Love and Help" emblems awarded to Unitarian Universalist Scouts.

We deplore the BSA's discrimination against UU Scouts on the basis of their religion, which affirms the inherent worth and dignity of every person regardless of religious belief or sexual orientation. Any UU boy who joins a Scout troop is likely to notice a difference between what his religion teaches and official membership policies of the BSA. We believe this conflict is properly addressed in the Religion in Life manual.

We also ask the BSA to reexamine the impact of current membership policies on youth and families, especially Scouts who view themselves as gay, or who adhere to traditions that regard both doubt and piety as part of faith, or who have ethical and spiritual principles that may not include a belief in God. We respectfully suggest that current policies are harmful not only to boys and men excluded from membership but also to Scouts encouraged to marginalize people different from themselves. We submit that such attitudes violate Scouting's own highest principles of tolerance and fairness.

We offer this petition more in sorrow than in anger. Many of us are Scout leaders, have children active in Scouting, or have treasured memories of our own Scout experiences. Some parents are sufficiently troubled by the dispute to have withdrawn their boys from the program. Many UU Scouts are wearing their "Religion in Life" and "Love and Help" emblems in defiance of the BSA edict.

In addition to UU clergy and laypersons, petition signers include sympathetic Protestants, Catholics and Jews. Signers are typically leaders in their communities with influence far beyond their immediate circle of family and friends. We look forward to an amicable resolution of this matter.

Yours in Scouting,

Eagle Scouts and Others Against Discrimination

cc. Edward Whiteacre, BSA president
Lawrence Ray Smith, Ph.D., chair, BSA religious relations committee
John Buehrens, UUA president

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