I just got through reading a post by vaspider about scouting for food. I did not want to put my thoughts on scouting in a post about feeding hungry people, hence this diary. Scouting for food is a project in which boy and cub scouts collect food for the needy. It is a very admirable project that certainly helps an awful lot of people. I wish that I could help them out.
But national policy won't let me or my son participate. Our family is not religious and none of us believe in any sort of deity. Likewise, I think of the many gay people whom I like, admire and respect who are also unwelcome. If we are not good enough to participate, then I will have to make my donations elsewhere.
I recognize that many local groups ignore the national organization's stance on these issues and that there are numerous people working hard to purge it of this bigotry. I hope that they succeed. Until they do I can't support it any more than if they had a policy excluding black people, asians, jews or catholics, regardless of what local groups may decide to do.
So, my daughter is starting girl scouts this winter. For my son, we are looking into the local campfire group. For those who are working to change things from within, I hope that you succeed. It can't happen too soon.