ALACOUN:17652] Time's up for the Boy Scouts !

[fgoodwin]

ALACOUN:17652] Time's up for the Boy Scouts !

 

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To: ALA Council List

Subject: [ALACOUN:17652] Time's up for the Boy Scouts !

From: MCR

Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2006 20:54:05 -0400

Cc: srrtac-l@ala.org, PLGNET-L@listproc.sjsu.edu.

Reply-To: iskra@earthlink.net

Sender: owner-alacoun@ala1.ala.org

 

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Title: Time's up for the Boy Scouts !

Time is up for ALA's relationship with the Boy Scouts of America.

 

After two years of debate in the late '90s the ALA Council voted that our concerns about BSA's discriminatory policies with regards to homosexuals and atheists, affecting scouts and scoutmasters alike, was putting us in conflict with some of our most basic principles. (See ALA Council Actions, 1999 ALA Midwinter Meeting (January 29-February 3, 1999, Actions of the ALA Council February 3 (?), 1999) Philadelphia, PA, Council III)

 

VOTED, To adopt CD#51-A, Resolution on the Boy Scouts of America, which read: "That the American Library Association urges the Boy Scouts of America to reconsider their policy of discrimination in the areas of sexual orientation and religious belief and demonstrate a commitment to human rights, inclusiveness, and mutual respect."(1998-99 CD#51-A)

 

Councilor Karen Schneider put this matter well back then:

 

"After two years of debate, it was agreed that as a group with a relationship to the Boy Scouts, what we wanted to do, and what we were in a very good position to do, is ask them to reconsider their policy--nothing more or less. Considering the reaction of other organizations to the Supreme Court decision, our response to an issue which the Boy Scouts alone chose to raise--no one asked them to start a witch-hunt on their gay members--was constructive, moderate, and prescient.

 

It was that Council vote that is responsible for why I am still in ALA. We all have our self-esteem issues, and those of us who are gay often find ourselves overlooking or rationalizing comments that were they directed at persons of color, women, the disabled, etc. would invoke outrage in ourselves as well as others. But I do get to decide where my money goes, and I would not, could not pay dues (not to mention attending conference, etc.--I recently totted up what I spent on ALA-related activities in the last decade, and it was not inconsiderable) to an organization that would not stick up for a significant percentage of its own members--those who are gay, and those who support gay rights--in such a modest, diplomatic, but ultimately important way. Karen G. Schneider"

 

The culminating official action to which Schneider refers was as follows:

 

Since then we have heard NOTHING about the response of the Boy Scouts of America to this resolution.

 

I would like Council to be able to see how this had been communicated to BSA by ALA and, hopefully, by ALSC; what their written/formal response was;how their response was communicated byh the EB to relevant sections; how the matter was publicized if at all, in order to actually put pressure on the BSA; what progress has been made, if any (there's has been NONE to my knowledge as of today) ; and what we intend to do about the apparent utter disregard by the BSA of our concerns. We know these practices of discrimination continue, are still being defended in the courts, and that many scouts and scoutmasters have been and are being affected adversely.

 

THis week I saw aired on HBO an current episode of Penn [Gillete] and Teller's "BUL **** !!" in which these equal-opportunity debunkers took on the Boy Scouts and demonstrated the unreconstructed and even deepened nature of the BSA's commitment to bigotry and their domination by the Mormon Church, whose religious influence they essay.

 

It is intolerable now as it was in the 90s to be providing SPECIAL SERVICES to the BSA, in engaging in SPECIAL ORGANIZATIONL CO-ACTIVITIES, in CO-SPONSORSHIPS with an organization which brazenly and ever more extensively practices discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, religious belief, and sectarian "moral values".Serving the needs of members of the Boy Scouts is one thing, supporting the BSA, Inc. organizationally linking to them is QUITE another.

 

Penn and Teller, in their uniquely acute and acidic manner, point out that the BSA that they knew (which is the one I knew as a young scout) changed in the 1980s when it was virtually taken over by the Mormon Church (they present the numbers about Mormon influence and interviews with proponents of it). Of course it is not just Mormonism but to a lesser degree other religious fundamentalist organizations who exercise decisive determinant influence over the oaths and obligations of troops around the country. The national policy remains unequivocal rejection of the morality and fitness of homosexuals and atheists and their exclusion from or expulsion from the BSA.

 

It is time to tally the balance sheet here. In my estimate, NO progress has been made in their adjusting their behavior based on religious and sexual-orientation prejudice. If ALA remains committed to combatting those evils it is high time to re-open this chapter and say "They had their chance. They ignored our concerns. We must terminate any special relations to the BSA through designated liaisons, joint-programs etc.

 

I will be rallying support for this before the ALA New Orleans conference. There will be a resolution. There will be, if necessary a floor fight and this time I hope the majority is not bullied by special interests connected to the BSA to allow the argument of their "long term relationship" with an organization which radically changed its position on these matters for theworse since the 80s (i.e. in the middle of that relationship) to use longevity as an argument for continuation.

 

I will. be bringing to Council a resolution along the following lines:

 

RESOLUTION ON THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA

 

WHEREAS the American Library Association (ALA) has had a long official relationship with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), currently in the form, among other things, of a designated ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children liaison; and

 

WHEREAS ALA and units may provide bibliographies and other material and services to any organization with or without formal or official affiliation and therefore can continue to do due diligence; and

 

WHEREAS the BSA continues to exclude persons from membership and leadership on the basis of religious ideas and/or sexual orientation; and

 

WHEREAS ALA Policy 9.5 specifically prohibits ALA or its component units from having formal relationships with organizations which violate ALAs principles and policies regarding human rights and social justice; and

 

WHEREAS ALA policies 54/17 and 60.2 declare the Associations support for gay rights and against creed-based discrimination; therefore be it

 

RESOLVED that the American Library Association calls upon ALA to suspend formal or official relations with the Boy Scouts of America until such time as the Boy Scouts of America ends its exclusionary policy on the basis of a persons religious beliefs or sexual orientation; and be it further

 

RESOLVED that the ALA once again strongly urges the Boy Scouts of America to change its membership practices so that they demonstrate a commitment to human rights, inclusiveness and mutual respect before prior relations with us can be restored.

 

I need a seconder and will send this immediately to the resolutions committee.

 

I am tired of seeing Council pass resolutions which like the previous one on the BSA are never monitored or reported back upon and for which no one takes responsibility. This time we should be decisive and see if that makes any difference. In any case, it's the right thing to do and the right time to finally do it.

 

Mark C. Rosenzweig

ALA Councilor at large

[yellow_hammer]

I'm very concerned that an association of librarians, guardians of our knowledge repositories, have taken this stance. NOT!

 

Librarians are against a policy and we should quake in fear? Give me a break.

[packsaddle]

So, do libraries give any kind of preferential treatment to BSA? They don't around here as far as I can tell.

[funscout]

Anybody can check out materials for free from public libraries, so it doesn't matter if the ALA doesn't want to associate themselves with the BSA.

 

I just checked out 20 books on different countries, and I told the librarian that I was planning on using them at a cub scout den meeting. My cub scouts were learning about a country of their ancestors' heritage. The librarian was thrilled that I was boosting the library's circulation numbers for the month!

[infoscouter]

Apparently (according to the Reading Merit Badge pamphlet), the American Library Association has an "Advisory Committee to Scouting". This seems to be the basis of their relationship with the BSA.

 

The ALA routinely passes resolutions on social issues. As a librarian, I'm not sure they're always germane to our profession, but some of my colleagues seem to have too much time on their hands.

[fgoodwin]

Infoscouter, I was about to say "welcome" to the Forums, based on your two posts, but I see you've been registered since 2003!

 

 

[frankj]

Ho-hum

[GernBlansten]

Well, in the words of the worlds most famous drug addict, "See, I told you so".

BSA discrimination policies have raised the ire of the normally mild mannered librarian lobby. What's next? "4 out of 5 dentists....."

[Lisabob]

In the grand scheme of things I don't think this will have any impact what so ever. Personally, I'm more focused on helping the troop get ready for summer camp, what we can do to make sure our newest scouts are becoming integrated into the group, and keeping our older scouts challenged and excited about scouting. If we swing all that, ALA endorsement or no, we'll still have lots of boys in the troop growing, learning, and having fun.

And I'm pretty sure our local library staff isn't about to chase us out of the building!

 

Lisa'bob

 

[evmori]

I never knew there was an ALA! And thinking Penn & Teller represent mainstream USA is a little scary!

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[Kaji]

So it's ok for the ALA to exclude based on violations of THEIR moral values, but it's not ok for the BSA to do the same acording to the moral values they embrace?

 

As I've said before, the words "bigotry" and "prejudiced" are worthless in modern English because it's simply another way of saying that the person doesn't agree with you, and trying to throw some mud their way while you're at it.

[Lisabob]

Hang on Kaji, I think you are misrepresenting the ALA view. They are not excluding people who happen to be BSA members. BSA members who are otherwise qualified to join the ALA may do so. BSA members may use the library and expect service from librarians just like anybody else.

 

What apparently is being proposed (and note that this is apparently not ALA policy but rather, a proposal - if I read it right) is that the ALA no longer have a special relationship with the BSA at an organizational level. They are within their right to do that and are not, as you claim, excluding any individual from ALA benefits on the basis of membership in the BSA.

 

 

Lisa'bob

[evmori]

Who cares what the ALA does!

[GernBlansten]

I think its time to retaliate and cross discriminate. I say we throw all the librarians out the troop. They never seemed to get the troop merit badge booklet collection in alphabetical order anyways.

[flmomscoutw3]

fgoodwin, I am not sure what your intention was in sharing this with us. I do not see how the ALA's decision will affect us as scouts and scouters who go to the library. What did the ALA do for the BSA before the Boy Scouts time was up? I will still support my local library, as I have for many years. I will still encourage my own son's to use the library as I will any youth or adult who is looking to read a book.

The title of this thread had me concerned. "Time's up for the Boy Scouts!" What time?

YiS