From Evan Sultanik

Gayety

I was walking into my apartment today with my girlfriend when she noticed a stack of Philadelphia Gay News] newspapers. I hope they were free (they weren’t addressed to anyone), as we took a copy. On the front page was a story about the ongoing controversy over gays in the Boy Scouts of America. This was of particular interest to me, not because I am gay (which I’m not (see girlfriend reference above (not that there’s anything wrong with being gay (don’t tell the Boy Scouts of America I said that, lest I be kicked out)))) but because I am an Eagle Scout. Earning that rank was the hardest thing I have accomplished in my life thus far, as anyone who has also earned the rank will definitely attest to. Knowing how hard it was for me to reach the rank of Eagle, it is disgusting for me to think how it would feel for that rank to be taken away from me (as it has been from several openly-gay scouts). Anyway, back to the point. The article explains how my local council, Cradle of Liberty, lost the right to use Philadelphia-owned land because its anti-gay policy is in conflict with the city’s Fair Practice Ordinance. The council, however, wishes to develop a non-discrimination policy to appease the city and regain use of Philadelphia-owned land. However, the Boy Scouts’ national headquarters has threatened that it will overturn the council’s charter if it refuses to discriminate against gays. This is one of the few times at which I am not proud to be called an Eagle Scout.

Previous: God

Blog Entries

Next: Newfangled keyboards