Monday, February 4, 2013

Peter Sprigg Tries to Defend Anti-Gay Scout Policy



There is a particular notion that I must take issue with. We have heard socially conservative pundits and politicians say imply that gay people are trying to force this change on the Boys Scouts. The truth of the matter is that while we are attempting to affect change (Heaven forbid we want to be treated like everyone else), it is the Boy Scouts who would be voluntarily changing their own policy to defer the decision of whether or not to allow openly gay Scouts in to local troops. As Sprigg himself says, the Scouts are under no legal obligation to do this and their right to discriminate, though tragic that they have exercised it, was upheld by the Supreme Court.

Like everyone else in this country, the Scouts are seeing that acceptance of gay people and equality is on the upswing. Seeing this, they are trying to adjust. Sure there is some financial pressure: some businesses and even religious organizations are threatening to pull their funding. However, this is indicative of the growing support for gay equality.

Mr. Sprigg is deluding himself into thinking that many people in this country are still against homosexuality. For the last several years, poll after poll shows a slim majority of people are for marriage equality. Three states in the last election enacted marriage equality via a popular vote. When people like Sprigg said letting gays serve openly in the military would destroy America, a super majority of Americans supported the repeal of DADT regardless...and we are still waiting for the military collapse that conservatives predicted by the way.

Sprigg can deny the truth until he is blue in the face, but the truth will remain the truth. America is moving closer and closer to equality. The possibility of the Boy Scouts changing their policy is yet another sign of this, and a move that will make them a better organization by showing young boys that people who are different are still people.

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