Soon after the Boy Scouts of America Executive Committee unanimously moved toward changing the organization’s policy on gay leaders, the Northern Illinois Council reiterated its “vocal” and “forceful” public support of inclusivity.
If the national board ratifies the proposed resolution at its July 27 meeting, the organization will eliminate its ban on openly gay adults in scouting while allowing individual troops to determine their own policies.
The Northeast Illinois Council’s three leaders — President Keith Ross, Commissioner John Duncan and Scout Executive Mike Hale — released a statement on the council’s website commending the executive committee’s actions.
“We applaud Dr. (Robert) Gates’ and the National Key Three’s leadership on this issue,” the statement reads. “The Northeast Illinois Council has been a vocal, forceful, and consistent advocate for changing the (Boy Scouts of America’s) membership policy to be completely inclusive.”
According to the local statement, the Northeast Illinois Council has for three years called on the Boy Scouts of America’s national board to approve a resolution against discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Hale reiterated that position, saying a majority of local members support the measure. He also acknowledged that not all members agree, but said a change in policy could help bring attention back to the purpose of scouting.
Scout law teaches participants to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
“What we’re doing is we’re trying to teach boys to be good citizens,” said Rob Proce, scoutmaster of Waukegan’s Troop 0609. “Part of it is being nice to people and being fair.”
Hale said the Northeast Illinois Council hasn’t discriminated and the issue of gay leaders has never come up locally.
“Either way, we have not removed anybody nor has it come up as an issue, which is interesting,” Hale said. “There’s all this talk, and when you get down to the grassroots, it didn’t come up.”
Approximately 70 percent of the organization’s 100,000 scouting units are chartered to faith-based organizations, according to the Boy Scouts of America’s website. Of 56 Boy Scout troops in Lake County, 36 are chartered by religious organizations, according to data analysis. However, the religions’ stances on homosexuality vary.
The proposed policy will allow individual troops to determine their policy on allowing openly gay scoutmasters or other adult leaders.
“If it’s a faith-based troop, we’re certainly not in position where we’re going to tell a complete faith how they should believe,” Hale said. “It’s a partnership; we don’t tell them what they should do.”
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