[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 4, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E123-E124]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       AN EAGLE SCOUT SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ANTI-GAY DISCRIMINATION

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                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 4, 2003

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I believe that the Boy 
Scouts of America are

[[Page E124]]

being profoundly unfair to many young people by refusing admission to 
their program to gay teenagers and adults. It should be emphasized that 
the Boy Scouts make no claim that this is based on the need to protect 
scouts from sexual abuse. Every organization dealing with young people 
ought to have very strict policies, with rigorous enforcement, to 
protect young people against any adult engaging in inappropriate sexual 
activity with them. But the Boy Scout policy is based not on this fear, 
but on their explicit view that being gay is inconsistent with being 
``morally straight'' and being ``clean in word and deed.'' In other 
words, the Scout's policy is simply a condemnation of the character and 
integrity of all gay men.
  This official policy by the national organization puts a number of 
people of good will in a difficult situation. There are a large number 
of men--and women as well--who participate in and are supportive of the 
Boy Scouts because the organization does do a great deal of good work. 
But they quite correctly abhor the cruel, discriminatory policy of the 
Scouts. Some have responded by ending their affiliation. Others have 
taken an equally honorable course--staying for now within the 
organization but fighting explicitly and openly against its 
discriminatory policy. I admire the willingness of people to do this. 
At some point it may become clear that the Boy Scout organization is 
irrevocably committed to this biased policy, but there have been 
encouraging signs of dissent in many parts of the country and I am 
hoping that those courageous people who are making this fight within 
the Boy Scouts will at some point succeed.
  I am particularly impressed when young people take this position, 
because it is especially hard for teenagers to stand up against 
authority in this way, and indeed to risk the disagreement of their 
peers. One very impressive scout--an Eagle Scout in fact--who has 
articulated the courageous moral position of those within the Boy Scout 
movement who disagree sharply with the organization's discriminatory 
policy is Michael Peiser. I first came into contact with Mr. Peiser 
when I was asked to write a letter to congratulate him on his becoming 
an Eagle Scout. As is my practice, I wrote to him and congratulated 
him, but simultaneously wrote to the Boy Scout organization that had 
solicited my letter noting that as a gay man, I did find it odd that 
they would simultaneously, as an organization, characterize me in such 
a negative fashion and ask me to congratulate one of the young people. 
I do not think that the young people themselves should be further 
victimized, so I write these letters to them of congratulations, but 
also remind the adult sponsoring entities of my strong disagreement 
with their policy.
  In the case of Mr. Peiser, the Scout leaders to whom I had written 
shared my letter with him, and he was gracious enough to let me know of 
his agreement with my position. In fact, he shared with me an essay he 
had written for his college admissions application, which is a very 
powerful statement of opposition to the Boy Scout policy. I admire very 
much Michael Peiser's stance of fighting from within the organization 
to change this policy, and I ask that his essay be printed here as an 
example of moral leadership by a young man.

                         Michael Peiser's Essay

       Two years ago, I attended my high school's first Gay/
     Straight Alliance meeting. As soon as the meeting began, the 
     topic of my involvement in the Boy Scouts of America, which 
     openly discriminates gays, became the focus of the 
     discussion. Suddenly I was being harangued by the other four 
     people at the meeting. The hypocrisy of my being an active 
     member of my local Boy Scout troop, while also being an 
     ardent liberal and supporter of gay rights, had never 
     occurred to me. The official position statement (BSA 1991) is 
     as follows: ``We believe that homosexual conduct is 
     inconsistent with the requirement in the Scout Oath that a 
     Scout be morally straight and in the Scout Law that a Scout 
     be clean in word and deed, and that homosexuals do not 
     provide a desirable role model for Scouts.''
       The two halves of my scouting experience, the first in a 
     culturally diverse troop in Los Angeles and the latter in an 
     affluent northeastern suburban troop, have been quite skewed 
     on the issue of gay scouts. My troop and many other troops 
     with liberal attitudes approach this controversy with a 
     ``don't ask don't tell'' policy. However, I cannot hide from 
     the fact that this evasion does not address the quandary in 
     any manner. The Boy Scout Organization teaches its members 
     not to hate or to discriminate; yet, having a policy that 
     discriminates against certain individuals inevitably feeds 
     hate.
       Last year, at one of my meetings, I was teaching 
     backpacking skills to a group of sixth graders. During the 
     session one of the scouts started to make ``gay jokes'' 
     toward another scout. The rest of the kids began to make 
     denigrating remarks about homosexuals in scouting. I 
     interjected and asked them why they were making fun of 
     homosexuals and also what they knew about the Scouts' actual 
     policy on homosexuality. The seven scouts in my group 
     unanimously argued that ``being gay was not natural and, 
     therefore, should not be allowed in scouting.'' These 
     notions, which are probably developed outside of the Boy 
     Scouts as well as in my troop, only teach young kids to be 
     closed-minded.
       What disturbs me the most about this issue is that Scouting 
     was formed to be a safe haven for all youth. Scouting is 
     supposed to be a place where those who are fortunate and less 
     fortunate can experience what their communities and world 
     have to offer them. Scouting offers so much leadership, 
     friendship, and guidance, that it pains me to see so many 
     different people and organizations, ranging from synagogues 
     to companies like Levi Strauss, completely cut off all 
     support for the Boy Scouts. While I understand the rationale 
     for choosing to do so, I do not feel this helps scouting in 
     any way. I firmly believe that Scouting needs to change its 
     anti-gay policy. Boycotting the organization only makes 
     change more difficult.
       Change can only occur from within Scouting. When people ask 
     me how I believe this can be achieved, I tell them the 
     following: when I see discrimination either happening or 
     being talked about among the scouts, I sit down with them and 
     have an open discussion. I believe that, if individual scouts 
     learn to be open and accepting, then, with time, these 
     discriminating policies will change. Today, when people 
     question my support of the Boy Scouts, I tell them exactly 
     what I disagree with, and how I plan to change it.

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