BSA Shuts Down Troop for Gay Scoutmaster

by Brig Bagley

22 April 2014

Geoff McGrath was not hiding his homosexuality when his Church sponsor hired him to lead the local scout troop in Seattle. All of the 15 boys and their parents supposedly were aware of and approved of McGrath as a competent and trustworthy leader for the scouts. When BSA caught wind of an interview of McGrath on TV where he noted his homosexuality, the organization sent a letter to Rev. Monica Cosaro requesting she fire McGrath.

Cosaro refused to comply, resulting in BSA's revoking of the troop's charter and forbidding use of any BSA materials or trademarks. Cosaro and her church believe in equality and she has performed a number of same-sex marriages. It was extremely disappointing to her, let alone McGrath, that the policies of BSA trampled over her and her troop's beliefs.

The boys of the troop will have the opportunity to transfer to other units. But those affected by the dissolved group hope this brings enough attention to invoke change in Boy Scouts of America. Several businesses have halted their support of boy scouts since the ban on gay leaders was upheld, including Disney, Intel, and AT&T. Although boys are allowed to participate as scouts if gay, gay leaders are forbidden to volunteer or participate.

Sexuality has no discussion in scouting, and forbidding participation on the basis of sexuality violates that policy. The risk of sexual misconduct should be judged by the individual's character, instead of the sexuality of said individual. Heterosexual leaders have molested scouts in the past, making the ban on homosexuals invalid, unfair, and discriminatory.

Read more here: http://fox13now.com/2014/04/22/boy-scouts-of-america-shuts-down-seattle-troop-over-gay-scoutmaster/