GLAA objects to honors for Boy Scouts of America

The Honorable Sandy Allen
Council of the District of Columbia
441 4th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001

Dear Sandy:

I am writing to express our anger and concern that you sponsored a ceremonial resolution earlier this year to have the Council of the District of Columbia officially salute the notoriously homophobic Boy Scouts of America.

The Ceremonial Resolution in question was CR 12-299, “To recognize and honor Carmund Theodore White, Jr., on the occasion of becoming an Eagle Scout,” enacted on April 7, 1998. The text of this resolution appeared in the July 10 issue of the D.C. Register. The Office of Legislative Services identified you as the sponsor, with no co-sponsors.

Section 2 of this resolution reads: “The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes the importance of Scouting, salutes the Boy Scouts of America, and honors the outstanding achievements of Carmund T. White, Jr.”

Obviously, we have no objection to honoring Mr. White; our protest is aimed at the language of Section 2 that “salutes the Boy Scouts of America.”

Every Boy Scout troop in the nation has to follow the outrageous policy of the national leadership of the Boy Scouts of America that rigidly excludes participation of any sort by gays, either as leaders or as Scouts. That policy has come under legal challenge in many parts of the country, including right here in the District of Columbia.

In fact, your resolution saluted the Boy Scouts at the very moment when the D.C. Human Rights Commission was considering the complaints of two local gay men filed in 1992 against the Boy Scouts for violating the D.C. Human Rights Law of 1977.

When you were running for Council in 1996, our GLAA candidate questionnaire asked whether you agreed with us that the Boy Scouts organization is violating the District’s Human Rights Act by banning gays. You replied: “Yes. Gays and lesbians should not be excluded as role models for our youth. Discrimination is wrong, particularly when it mistakenly suggests sexual orientation would create inappropriate interaction.”

The national Boy Scouts leadership is closely in harmony with the attitudes and policies of the so-called religious right, which is eager to divide the nation along religious and political lines to advance their own anti-social ideological agenda. The national Boy Scouts leadership claims their organization is a private club, yet they enjoy massive support and special privileges from governments at every level across the land. If their claim for exemption from the District’s Human Rights Law is allowed to stand, it may set a precedent that could severely circumscribe the law’s ability to offer comprehensive protections to a wide variety of minority groups from arbitrary discrimination.

We appreciate your own record of support you have given to the lesbian and gay residents of our city. It is highly plausible that this resolution was drafted outside your office (possibly by the local Boy Scouts leadership), or that it was written by someone on your staff, or that you yourself did not personally read this resolution before you introduced it. But whatever the exact facts, you have to be held responsible. Accordingly, your apology would be in order.

In addition, we ask you to ensure that all members of your staff are suitably educated about the discriminatory policies of the Boy Scouts so that they will not welcome future ceremonial resolutions honoring their organization. In the future, we may ask you to support if not introduce a resolution putting the Council of the District of Columbia squarely on record against the homophobia of the Boy Scouts.

We hope to receive a written response from you soon.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Rosendall
President
Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, DC

cc: All Councilmembers