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The Dartmouth
July 9, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Scout's Honor

Hiking, camping, days covered in your own filth -- no, I am not talking about the DOC trips but instead the Boy Scouts of America. I say with mixed emotions that I am an Eagle scout. In passing my final board of review this summer I thought it would be a moment of tremendous pride and accomplishment. However the organization which I have been a member of for much of my life had its right to exclude gays from scouting and leadership positions upheld by the US Supreme Court. Although I whole-heartedly disagree with the Scout's decision to follow such an intolerant practice, I believe just as strongly with the court's decision that they do have the right under the First Amendment's freedom of association clause to follow such a practice.

What truly bothers me is why the Boy Scouts would pursue such a policy. As an active member of scouting for many years I can attest that there are no sex merit badges or requirements. Leaders do not preach sexuality, and members and leaders come from all different backgrounds with various beliefs. What does unify the organization is its commitment to the outdoors, to community service, and the development of leadership skills. Scouting can have a tremendous impact on the lives of young adults and to alienate so many by pursuing such an intolerant policy is a travesty for it will only prevent more young men from developing valuable life skills.

In trying to understand the actions of the Boy Scouts of America, I could understand only that they sought to defend their rights as a private organization, and from an ideological point of view they won that battle. They have had their rights protected, but now it is time for them to do the right thing. It is time for the organization to live by the honor and respect in which it prides itself. The scouting that I have known is an organization which allows young adults to come together and learn from each other as they discover the wilderness, serve the community, and grow as individuals. It is time for the organization to open its collective mindset and understand that intolerance is the antithesis of the true spirit of scouting.

I will return home in the next couple months for my Eagle Scout court of honor, and I will have the opportunity to give a speech which will probably echo the sentiments expressed here. It is incredibly unfortunate that an organization that has the ability to do so much good and provide such wonderful opportunity to the youth of America is acting in such a manner. They have already and will continue to lose financial support because of their decision, but more importantly, they will lose the faith of their membership and a nation which once regarded Scouting with highest esteem.

I do not yet know if I will wear my Eagle scout medal. Perhaps I shall keep it in its box, untarnished until the Boy Scouts realize that discrimination and intolerance is wrong. The Constitution rightfully protects the Boy Scout's right to do so, just as they protect the Ku Klux Klan's right to march. But it is with greatest sorrow that I am forced to compare these two groups. However, I am confident that the principles of this land are greater than the intolerance of a few and Scouting will realize its egregious error -- come that day, I will wear my medal with pride.