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Current BSA Policy Vs local option poll


MichScouter

Current BSA Policy Vs local option poll  

141 members have voted

  1. 1.

    • Current Policy
      46
    • Local Option
      95


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The 70% in favor of a local option here matches that of the polled number from the councils. With 70 samples here and 294 council samples (364 total), and 1,039,825 adults in the bsa (from wikipedia), the margin of error is just over 5%. This assumes the poll is random. Still, this is a surprising number to me.

 

Maybe the silver lining of the way this has been handled is that it will start the conversation within the boy scouts. That could make 16 weeks waiting a good thing in the long term.

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I can go either way with this. There should be a third voting option IMHO.

 

My problem with the local option is the possibility of problems between Troops where one exercises the option one way and another exercises it the other and what has not been an item of contention in the past now becomes a reason why one group is "forced" to practice tolerance while another acts as it will(and that can occur with either choice acting as the bully). Now I realize that there are adults out there doing this now, but IMHO I haven't yet seen it have any effect on boys i've known yet.

 

This decision could bring that discriminator into the discussion among the youths and force them to make decisions they shouldn't have to yet.

 

As to AZMikes qurestion about in what ways? Folks are inventive, they'll find a way to make it interesting.

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The 70% in favor of a local option here matches that of the polled number from the councils. With 70 samples here and 294 council samples (364 total), and 1,039,825 adults in the bsa (from wikipedia), the margin of error is just over 5%. This assumes the poll is random. Still, this is a surprising number to me.

 

Maybe the silver lining of the way this has been handled is that it will start the conversation within the boy scouts. That could make 16 weeks waiting a good thing in the long term.

Where can I find the details on that poll, MattR? This is the first I have heard of one.
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The 70% in favor of a local option here matches that of the polled number from the councils. With 70 samples here and 294 council samples (364 total), and 1,039,825 adults in the bsa (from wikipedia), the margin of error is just over 5%. This assumes the poll is random. Still, this is a surprising number to me.

 

Maybe the silver lining of the way this has been handled is that it will start the conversation within the boy scouts. That could make 16 weeks waiting a good thing in the long term.

MomToEli, I saw it in the "So, does this change the discussion?" thread from Lodge 489 on page 2.
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The 70% in favor of a local option here matches that of the polled number from the councils. With 70 samples here and 294 council samples (364 total), and 1,039,825 adults in the bsa (from wikipedia), the margin of error is just over 5%. This assumes the poll is random. Still, this is a surprising number to me.

 

Maybe the silver lining of the way this has been handled is that it will start the conversation within the boy scouts. That could make 16 weeks waiting a good thing in the long term.

Assuming the 70/30 split is correct, can BSA afford 30% of membership to walk? In one of the other threads that was the percentage lost by Scouting in Canada when they changed.
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You omitted a third option. A national policy that requires units to present homosexuality as an example of morally straight to all of our you.
Not a ridiculous statement at all. I've read at least a dozen articles on this topic in the last two weeks and full inclusion in ALLof BSA is exactly what ALL the LGBTQ activist groups want. They absolutely despise the "local option."
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Spoke with our Exec and assistant today, and they both are really concerned about the effect of the final decision. The CE said his calls are running at about 41% against it, and a lot of threats to leave if it happens. He said they are already looking at ways to redo the budget, as they fear they will lose considerable income. We are in a bit more conservative area of California, so his percentage does not really seem too off to me, though my own discussions have indicated most people would prefer the local option as long as it WAS a local unit choice. Our church has has already told us they will run with our decisions on leadership and so on. And the National Methodist have indicated support for local as well.

 

We discussed the nightmares of people dropping out of jamboree at that late date, as well as loss of executive board members. Apparently there has been some that indicated they would resign should the change occur.

 

As noted earlier, I really just do not get why this is such a problem with so many, other than we now live in a very egotistical cultural climate. Will just focus on the troop and hope for the best.

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  • 4 weeks later...

If the Local option is passed, the scenario I fear is one where an openly gay person wishes to join a unit, and it just so happens that this particular unit chooses to follow the original membership requirements. (i.e. heterosexual individuals only).

If the person is refused membership to this unit, based on said sexual orientation, and this individual decides to sue, I am guessing that the CO will be the entity that is sued.

 

Will the BSA support the CO, or wash their hands of the incident, and leave the CO hung out to dry?

One incident like this could put a significant financial burden on a CO.

 

Your thoughts?

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If the Local option is passed, the scenario I fear is one where an openly gay person wishes to join a unit, and it just so happens that this particular unit chooses to follow the original membership requirements. (i.e. heterosexual individuals only).

If the person is refused membership to this unit, based on said sexual orientation, and this individual decides to sue, I am guessing that the CO will be the entity that is sued.

 

Will the BSA support the CO, or wash their hands of the incident, and leave the CO hung out to dry?

One incident like this could put a significant financial burden on a CO.

 

Your thoughts?

The CO, say the Catholic Church, already discriminates against gays by not marrying them and against women by not ordaining them priests. The LDS church discriminates against women in not allowing them to be Scoutmasters or Asst Scoutmasters, as far as I know, no one has sued either entity on these matters, why would someone sue now? The BSA has said a CO can close their unit to only members of their Faith, is that not religious discrimination, ? do we know of a suit against one of those units?
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If the Local option is passed, the scenario I fear is one where an openly gay person wishes to join a unit, and it just so happens that this particular unit chooses to follow the original membership requirements. (i.e. heterosexual individuals only).

If the person is refused membership to this unit, based on said sexual orientation, and this individual decides to sue, I am guessing that the CO will be the entity that is sued.

 

Will the BSA support the CO, or wash their hands of the incident, and leave the CO hung out to dry?

One incident like this could put a significant financial burden on a CO.

 

Your thoughts?

OldGreyEagle,

 

I think the concern has some validity in that the chartering units have the "cover" if you will of the national policy. Once (and if) the policy is changed at the national level, the CO is now the decision maker. It's not too hard to see a scenario where an activist seeks out a unit to join expressly to keep the fight alive. I suspect there will be people who will be willing to keep the fight up until the policy requires all units to be open and accepting. The BSA has been the easy single target to this point. Once (and if) they push it to the local COs, the largest COs become the highest value targets in the environment.

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If the Local option is passed, the scenario I fear is one where an openly gay person wishes to join a unit, and it just so happens that this particular unit chooses to follow the original membership requirements. (i.e. heterosexual individuals only).

If the person is refused membership to this unit, based on said sexual orientation, and this individual decides to sue, I am guessing that the CO will be the entity that is sued.

 

Will the BSA support the CO, or wash their hands of the incident, and leave the CO hung out to dry?

One incident like this could put a significant financial burden on a CO.

 

Your thoughts?

Currently, ALL BSA charter organizations must legally be able to exclude gays and atheists; that's why public schools had to stop chartering units.

 

Any unit that could, hypothetically, be sued due to the local option could be sued TODAY on the same grounds.

 

PS: OGE, do you know when people will be able to create new topics again?

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