WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (UPI) — The Boy Scouts of America should end its ban on gays, President Barack Obama said as the Scouts’ board was to mull lifting the ban at a meeting to begin Monday.
“Yes,” Obama said in a one-word answer when asked by CBS News in a Super Bowl pregame interview if the Boy Scouts should be open to gay members and leaders.
Asked to elaborate, Obama said, “Gays and lesbians should have access and opportunity the same way everybody else does in every institution and walk of life.
“The Scouts are a great institution that are promoting young people and exposing them to, you know, opportunities and leadership that will serve people for the rest of their lives, and I think that nobody should be barred from that,” Obama said.
Obama last year backed the right of same-sex couples to marry and voiced his support for gay rights in his second inaugural address two weeks ago.
Concerning Scouting, the White House said last August Obama disagreed with the organization’s ban on gay members, but Sunday’s interview was Obama’s first public addressing of the issue since the Scouts said last week it would consider lifting the ban when it holds its national executive board meeting.
The meeting was to begin Monday at the Scouts’ headquarters in Irving, Texas, outside Dallas.
The group could decide to let chartered organizations determine local policy, the Scouts said in a statement.
The vote is expected to take place Wednesday, on the board meeting’s last day.
The Scouts reaffirmed its no-gays policy seven months ago.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a 2012 Republican presidential hopeful, urged the Scouts Saturday to maintain its policies prohibiting gay members and leaders.
“Scouting is about teaching a substantial amount of life lessons,” said Perry, who opposes gay marriage and other equality efforts by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups. “Sexuality is not one of them, never has been, doesn’t need to be.”
Perry, a former Eagle Scout, wrote a book in 2008 titled, “On My Honor: Why the American Values of the Boy Scouts Are Worth Fighting For.”
Copyright 2013 United Press International, Inc. (UPI).
…Perry, a former Eagle Scout, wrote a book in 2008 titled, “On My Honor: Why the American Values of the Boy Scouts Are Worth Fighting For.”
There’s no such thing as a “Former” Eagle Scout. Once an Eagle, always an Eagle.
And once a turkey, always a turkey.
I thought Boy Scouts was about learing to have integrity, good character, survival etc.. Not about sex. If he’s male gender let him in. And then BEHAVE.
“In 2000, the Supreme Court ruled in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale that Boy Scouts, and all private organizations, have the constitutionally protected right under the First Amendment of freedom of association to set membership standards.[39] In 2004, the BSA adopted a new policy statement, including the following as a “Youth Leadership” policy:
“Boy Scouts of America believes that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the obligations in the Scout Oath and Scout Law to be morally straight and clean in thought, word, and deed. The conduct of youth members must be in compliance with the Scout Oath and Law, and membership in Boy Scouts of America is contingent upon the willingness to accept Scouting’s values and beliefs. Most boys join Scouting when they are 10 or 11 years old. As they continue in the program, all Scouts are expected to take leadership positions. In the unlikely event that an older boy were to hold himself out as homosexual, he would not be able to continue in a youth leadership position.””
hey xylon ii, he is the lesser of two evils. And you should quit comparing him to Bush, Sr or Jr. Big dick deal. Lets raise the bar a bit. Is this really the problem, he is shooting for the Bush bar. Sad, so fricking sad. The guy is not a leader. I wish he were, but he isn’t. In fact I’ll go one futher. He isn’t even smart enough to surround himself with people that do know what they are doing. Sad, so sad.
Have a lot of gay friends and asked them what they thought about the Boy Scouts . Why would you want to join an organization that you are not wanted at, is what most of them said. Our friends don’t really like flaming fellows. Their reason is if we would act like everyone else, people really wouldn’t care what goes on in anybodies home. It is a private organization so should we force morals and decision made by other people on each other?
Of the last 20+ presidents, this guy has the least amount of political experience as measured by time as an elected official. But thinks he can make statements like these that have nothing to do with government. How about he focus on the economy, jobs, world peace, etc. But then again I guess without the experience he has no idea what he should be doing. He is obviously not a leader. He is dividing this country on every issue. We need a president with a bit of a charismatic quality and I’m sorry folks. He has zero. Kind of a sad thing.
If you think a president can be elected w/o charisma, well ask Mitt Romney. President Obama is here for another 4. We had to put up with Bush Jr. who had even less experience than President Obama. So suck it up and quit whining. He’s president of everyone in the U.S. not just a selected few.
He was asked a question and he answered it. You would have been all over him had he said “no comment”.
Conservatives in DC need to quit being cogs in the wheels of progress. They veto, stumble, postpone and generally go against everything Obama tries to do. Give them their helping of blame.