>> >>AMITA: IT COULD BE A WATER SHED MOMENT FOR THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA.
THE SCOUT'S LEADERSHIP IS EXPECTED TO VOTE ON WHETHER TO END THE BAN ON OPENLY GAY SCOUTS.
THE RESOLUTION READS IN PART NO USE MAY BE DENIED MEMBERSHIP ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION
OR PREFERENCE ALONE.
THE GROUP PLANS TO CONTINUE TO BAR GAY ADULTS FROM WORKING AS SCOUT LEADERS.
HERE WITH ME ARE EAGLE SCOUT CHANCE KAWAR, A SENIOR AT PATRICK HENRY HIGH SCHOOL, AND
HOWARD MENZER, PRESIDENT OF SCOUTING FOR ALL.
WE ASKED REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE BOY SCOUTS TO COME ON THE PROGRAM, THEY DECLINED.
RNS R. CHANCE, YOU'RE A SCOUT WHO HAPPENS TO BE GAY.
WHEN YOU MADE THE DISCOVERY AS A BOY THAT THE BOY SCOUTS EXCLUDE GAY MEMBERS, WHAT WENT
THROUGH YOUR MIND?
>> >>CHANCE KAWAR: I GUESS I WOULD SAY I WAS CONFUSED.
I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT HAD ANY RELATION TO SCOUTING.
AND I DIDN'T WANT IT TO IMPACT MY SCOUTING CAREER SO I MADE A DECISION NOT TO SHARE IT
WITH ANYONE.
>> >>AMITA: YOU RECENTLY WROTE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE OF BEING GAY IN THE SCOUTS.
WHAT WAS THE REACTION FROM THE ORGANIZATION?
>> >>CHANCE KAWAR: I DIDN'T HEAR FROM THE ORGANIZATION SPECIFICALLY, BUT I HEARD FROM
MANY MEMBERS OF MY TROOP WHO REACHED OUT TO ME AND SAID THEY SUPPORTED ME AND THEY WERE
NOT IN FAVOR OF THE POLICY AND WISHED THAT I COULD CONTINUE TO BE A PART OF THE TROOP.
MY SCOUT MASTER INFORMED ME I WOULD NO LONGER BE WELCOME AT TROOP MEETINGS AND EVENTS?
>> >>AMITA: WHY?
>> >>CHANCE KAWAR: I FELT LIKE HE PROBABLY FELT THE NEED TO COMPLY WITH NATIONAL'S POLICY
AND I'M SORRY THAT HE FELT THAT WAY, BUT I RESPECT HIS DECISION.
>> >>AMITA: HOWARD, YOU'VE BEEN A SCOUT MASTER WITH THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, YOU ALSO ARE
GAY.
IN YOUR TIME THERE, WHAT, IF ANY, DISCRIMINATION DID YOU SEE?
>> >>HOWARD MENZER: I BEGAN BOY SCOUTING IN 1945, THERE WAS NO DISCRIMINATION.
THERE WAS NO DISCRIMINATION INTO THE 1950S IN THE AREA I WAS IN.
IN THE 50S, THE BOY SCOUTS DID HAVE THIS� THEY HAD TROOPS THAT WERE GAY� THAT WERE
WHITE, AND TROOPS THAT WERE NOT.
THEY HAD SEGREGATION IN THE SOUTH.
AND THEY ALLOWED IT.
UNTIL THEY GOT SUED.
IN THE SCIBLGHT 60S, THEY DID A LOT OF WORK AGAINST WOMEN BEING SCOUT MASTERS.
THEY SPENT OVER 10�MILLIONDOLLARS TO PROVE THAT.
>> >>AMITA: YOU LEFT BECAUSE OF DISCRIMINATION; IS THAT NOT CORRECT?
>> >>HOWARD MENZER: I LEFT BECAUSE OF DISCRIMINATION.
THE LAST THING I WAS DOING IN BOY SCOUTS AT THE TIME THAT I JUST HAD ENOUGH OF IT WAS
WAS TEACHING SCOUT MASTERS AND WELL, TEACHING SCOUT MASTERS CPR AND FIRST AID FROM THE RED
CROSS SO THEY COULD TAKE KIDS OUT MORE SAFELY, AND TEACHING THE FIRST AID MERIT BADGE.
OFTEN THEY WERE BOTH IN THE SAME CLASS.
AND I KEPT HEARING THESE GAY JOKES FROM THE ADULTS FOR THE KIDS TO HEAR AND IT WAS JUST
MORE THAN I COULD TOLERATE.
>> >>AMITA: LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS VOTE THAT'S COMING UP.
THE BOY SCOUTS RELEASED A STATEMENT TO US, THEY SAID WHILE PERSPECTIVES AND OPINIONS
VARY SIGNIFICANTLY, PARENTS, ADULTS, IN THE SCOUTING COMMUNITY AND TEENS ALIKE TEND TO
AGREE THAT YOU SHOULD NOT BE DEFIED THE BENEFITS OF SCOUTING.
IF IT APPROVES THE BAN ON GAY SCOUTS BUT NOT OPENLY GAY LEADERS, IT SEEMS ILLOGICAL.
WHAT IS THE ARGUMENT AGAINST ALLOWING GAY LEADERS, CHANCE?
>> >>CHANCE KAWAR: THE ARGUMENT AGAINST?
I'M NOT SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND WHAT THE ARGUMENT AGAINST S.
TO ME, IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'RE SENDING A MIXED MESSAGE BY SAYING GAY YOUTH CAN PARTICIPATE,
BUT NOT GAY ADULTS.
AS IF SOMETHING CHANGES IN A MAN'S I DON'T KNOW, HIS WAY OF CONDUCTING HIMSELF WHEN HE
TURNS 18 YEARS OLD AND I JUST DON'T AGREE WITH THAT.
>> >>AMITA: WHAT AFFECT HAS THE RULE BANNING GAY MEMBERS HAD ON THE BOY SCOUTS?
BOTH ON THE SCOUTS AND THE ORGANIZATION.
>> >>HOWARD MENZER: IT'S LOWERED IN NUMBERS FRRKS ONE THING.
IT'S CUT THEIR FUNDING.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WILL NOT� I KNOW WE'VE GONE TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT DO FUNDING FOR
THEM, UNITED WAY, FOR INSTANCE.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY LETTERS HAVE GONE OUT TO VARIOUS UNITED WAYS WHO ARE LOOSELY CONNECTED
AND THEY EACH MAKE THEIR OWN CHOICES.
WE ASK THEM ABOUT THEIR NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY AND THEN WHY ARE THEY FUNDING THE BOY
SCOUTS.
>> >>AMITA: CHANCE, WHAT KIND OF PRESSURE DO YOU THINK THE BOY SCOUTS IS RECEIVING BOTH
INSIDE AND FROM THE OUTSIDE ON THIS RESOLUTION?
>> >>CHANCE KAWAR: I THINK THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF PRESSURE IN PART BECAUSE I THINK
OUR CULTURE IS CHANGING.
THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA RECOGNIZES THAT.
NO LONGER IS IT BEING GAY SOMETHING TO BE ASHAMED OF.
I THINK THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA WOULD BE WISE TO LISTEN TO THE VOICES THAT ARE COMING
FROM NOT ONLY OUTSIDE THE ORGANIZATION, BUT INSIDE.
THERE'S A LOT OF DEBATE OVER WHERE WE SHOULD GO FROM THIS, IN TERMS OF THE MEMBERSHIP POLICIES.
AND I THINK THAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD AGREE THAT BEING GAY WOULD NOT AFFECT A PERSON'S ABILITY
TO BE A SCOUT AND SO I THINK THAT IF THEY START TO RECOGNIZE THAT PRESSURE, HOPEFULLY
IT RESULTS IN SOME POSITIVE CHANGE.
>> >>AMITA: CHANCE, HOWARD, THANK YOU FOR COMING IN TODAY.
>> >>HOWARD MENZER: MY PLEASURE.