Losing Eagle for being gay

[emb021]

I hope that someone can confirm/deny this.

 

I've heard that the BSA has taken away Eagle from certain individuals, usually for doing some henious crime, tho I've never heard of any specific examples.

 

I know that the BSA does kick people out who come out as gay. (I'm not here to debate this)

 

I have someone on another forum who is claiming of Eagle Scouts (apparently some youth) who have had their Eagle badges taken away from them because they came out as gay. The only 'proof' he's given is "TV". I assume he heard something on tv, maybe a reporter, maybe a commentator, so he thinks this is so.

 

SO, my question is: has ANY Eagle Scout lost his Eagle Badge because he was gay? That is, the BSA has revoked his Eagle.

 

[scoutingagain]

I'm highly skeptical of such a report. I know in our council there was an effort to have national revoke an Eagle award presented to a young man who later was convicted of sex related crimes with younger boys. The request was denied. His name was removed from a plaque listing Eagle scouts at the unit's CO, but his was done locally and his membership was revoked.

 

So know I am not aware of any rescinded Eagle awards, but I admit I don't go looking for that information either, I just happen to be aware of the one case described above.

 

SA

[GernBlansten]

Urban legend.

I heard it from our district Eagle dude at a EBOR too. But he was wrong. He was wrong on several other things too. But he believed it and that was enough for him to keep propogating the legend.

No Eagle award has ever been revoked, although membership in BSA after the award was granted has been.

[evmori]

As Gern posted, membership can be revoked, but once an Eagle is given or earned, it is not taken back.

[2eagles]

Once an Eagle Always an Eagle

 

I have heard Eagles complain that anyone with criminal charges should be removed as it tarnishes the whole -- but National does not do this -- only removal at local level.

[mmhardy]

Kind of a catch 22. The fact that all canidates must have completed requirements before they are 18 years old brings an awkward situation of having to ask a minor if he is gay. I highly doubt the BSA will want to stray into that territory. Thus there is no litmus test of sexual orientation.

[Eamonn]

I admit to not knowing if this has or has not ever happened.

My gut feeling is that it is highly un-lightly.

Ea.

[Basementdweller]

There is a story that is told with in our council, I cannot confirm it. In our council an eagle scout admitted he was gay and an atheist. He was promptly was thrown out. He sued the council and BSA for it. The Judge asked him when he discovered he was gay and an atheist. The Scout responded for a couple of years, The Judge threw the case out and Took his eagle from him on the basis he lied on the application and when reciting the Oath.

 

I cannot confirm it, but it is a story told openly at round tables. The Commisioners make no effort to support or deny it......

 

Urban legend, possibly.

[GernBlansten]

Interesting twist on the legend.

But like most legends, they don't stand up to scrutiny.

If the scout/scouter was suing the BSA, under what authority would the judge have to take his Eagle award? Wouldn't the BSA need to be suing the Eagle scout?

 

This is just like urban legend of the tour permit and insurance coverage.

[emb021]

Plus, if it went to court, it would be in the public record. Should be possible to find judge and the 'eagle scout' names, etc.

 

And such a case would probably be included with similiar cases by anti-BSA websites, etc.

 

AFAIK, Dale didn't have his Eagle award taken from him.

 

 

[GernBlansten]

Yes, the BSA would need to sue the scout to return the award, since the award is the property of the scout. At least I think it is.

 

Imagine the fire storm if BSA actually did this. You think the Dale decision was hot, this would make it nucular.

[eisely]

I have never heard of BSA revoking an Eagle rank for any reason whatsoever, even when it was pretty clear that the rank was obtained fraudulently. Another urban legend.

[Hal_Crawford]

Before I started with our troop there was a scout who passed his EBOR and shortly after was arrested on some serious felonies. I understand he was informed his Eagle had been revoked. I believe that his application was pulled before approval at National so you could argue he never was actually an Eagle though if the BOR is the defining moment then maybe he was. He was subsequently convicted and did time. To my knowledge he is neither gay nor an atheist... but he surely isn't an Eagle.

 

As I said, this was before I joined the troop but the repercussions were still being felt when I joined. It was rough on the next couple of Eagles in part because the adults had been so badly misled by this young man that some started looking for faults in other scouts who had known him.

 

Hal

[Trevorum]

A candidate is not actually an Eagle until National approves the paperwork.

[CalicoPenn]

To the best of my knowledge, the Boy Scouts of America has never, in it's entire history, revoked a person's Eagle Scout rank, for any reason.

 

A judge cannot revoke a person's Eagle rank at any time - he doesn't have any jurisdiction to do so (Eagle Scout is a rank given by a private organization to a private individual). If the BSA revoked an Eagle Scout rank (and again, it's never happened) and was sued, all a judge could do is agree with the BSA and dismiss the suit.

 

In theory, the Eagle Scout rank still belongs to the BSA, as do all other ranks and the BSA can demand that they be returned at any time - in theory. In practice, it would never happen. The BSA could send a letter to someone demanding the return of the items and the person would likely either ignore the demand or just respond and tell the BSA to go pound sand. In order to enforce such a demand, the BSA would have to file a civil suit, and if the defendant no longer has the items the BSA would likely only be able to collect the face value of the items in question. Total value of the items - $25. Cost to file the suit? Not worth it.

 

So, where does this urban legend come from? I have a little insight into this - a few of my clients earned the Eagle Scout rank before admitting they were gay - some of them were told by former Troop leaders, or other adult volunteer Scouters who learned this, that they would make sure the lads Eagle Scout rank was revoked. Even though they never got any official letter from the Boy Scouts of America, they were still told by some "official" in their eyes that their Eagle Scout rank was revoked. They in turn perpetuate that by telling their friends that they used to be an Eagle Scout but it was revoked by the BSA (they don't know this isn't true - they were told by someone in authority that it was). It isn't long before someone mentions to a friend who is in the civil rights biz that they know someone whose Eagle Scout was revoked, and it gets told as an apocryphal story to an eager news media who couldn't tell you the sky was blue unless someone standing next to them told them the sky was blue.

 

Calico