New Boy Scout Poll Asks If It's 'Acceptable' for Gay Men to Camp with Boys
A tipster—identifying himself as cub scout parent in Texas—forwards us part of a new poll the Boy Scouts of America is asking him and other parents to complete. As the BSA gets closer to making a decision about whether to lift its ban on gays, the century-old organization is gauging how BSA parents feel about the possibility of openly gay scouts and scout leaders within its ranks.
Some of the poll is made up of direct yes-or-no questions like, "Do you believe the current policy prohibiting open homosexuals from being Scouts or adult Scout leaders is a core value of Scouting found in the Scout Oath and Law?" But others, like the ones pictured below, ask respondents to decide how "acceptable" they find different scenarios. For instance, is it acceptable or unacceptable—or somewhat unacceptable—for a gay adult to take a troop of boys camping overnight? And is it acceptable for a gay 16-year-old to be a vaunted Eagle Scout?
Boy Scout leaders are expected to vote on the gay ban at their annual conference at Texas' Gaylord Resort and Convention Center on May 22. (Click image to enlarge.)
