Participating in the Public Forum:
Why the Scouts Were Right to Ban Gay Activists as Leaders
by Camille S. Williams
Parents have the legal and the moral right to be concerned about youth leaders’ values and conduct.
The Boy Scouts of America argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that as a private group they have the right to set the moral criteria for their youth leaders. The Court agreed, but some private and public entities have declared the no gay leader policy to be discriminatory and have withdrawn financial support. Apart from the constitutional issues the raised by the case, there are also public health and public policy issues which have not been fully discussed.
Because youth leaders may greatly influence their children, parents have the legal and the moral right to be concerned about youth leaders’ values and conduct. Leaders should not implicitly or explicitly encourage risky behaviors. As a group, persons reporting same-sex orientation, whether married, single, or in a relationship, report having a larger number of sexual partners over their lifetimes than do persons in heterosexual unions. They also are more likely to report having a history of substance abuse, and to participate in sexual and other practices which put them at risk for a shorter life. (1)
The persistence of unsafe sexual practices among gay men is widely documented, and has recently increased, despite massive public health education efforts. (2) While the behavior of any specific man may be beyond reproach, a gay activist, by definition, seeks to legitimate an unhealthful lifestyle. Parents and anyone else concerned about individual and public health should seek to discourage risky behaviors which increase the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Sexual orientation and behavior are malleable. Youth learn about familial and sexual behaviors from the older generation, their parents, teachers and leaders. Those leaders’ behavior should demonstrate a healthful lifestyle. We do not have adequate empirical research to support claims that the sexual practices of parents or other adults will have little or no impact on the children they raise, teach or lead. In fact, only about 3% of the population consider themselves homosexual (Laumann, p. 297), and that homosexual identity is not a uniform attribute across individuals, is not stable over time, and is not easily measured (Laumann, p. 283). In studies conducted during the past twenty years, the sexual orientation of both subjects and control groups have generally been assumed, rather than assessed, thus calling into question the validity of the results. (3) We might reasonably conclude, as did a Florida judge in an adoption case, that because most children will grow up to be heterosexual, they need stable adult heterosexual role models as they develop into men and women interested in appropriately interacting with members of the opposite sex. (4)
Sidestepping the labels. Those who believe homosexual behavior is wrong have been characterized as ignorant, fearful, or prejudiced. Using such labels for those opposing increased acceptance of same-sex relationships simply shifts the focus from the issues related to same-sex sexual behaviors to a consideration of the character or credentials of an opponent apart from his arguments. Boy Scout and religious leaders who oppose homosexual activity are not necessarily unaware of scientific evidence supporting their views, though they may not choose their policies nor counsel their members on the basis of medical or social scientific arguments and evidences.
For gay activists to characterize those who disagree with them as ignorant, fearful, or prejudiced squelches public dialogue about public health issues and impoverishes moral reasoning on issues of central importance to individuals, families and organizations.
Notes
1. For analysis of risk and case studies, see Jeffrey Satinover, M.D., Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth, 1996; Charles Socarides, Homosexuality: A Freedom Too Far, 1995; For theory and narrative, see Claudia Card, Lesbian Choices, 1995; Celia Kitzinger and Rachel Perkins, Changing Our Minds, 1993; Robert L. Barret, Gay Fathers, 1990; Frederick W. Bozett, Gay and Lesbian Parents, 1987; D. McWhirter and A. Mattison, The Male Couple, 1984; Martin Weinberg, et al, Dual Attraction: Understanding Bisexuality, 1994. For demographic and statistical information, see Edward O. Laumann, et al, The Social Organization of Sexuality, 1994, pp. 283-320.
2. “HIV Rate in S.F. Gays has Tripled in 2 Years,” Associated Press, Deseret News Saturday July 1, 2000.https://wwwdesnews.com/cgi-bin/libstory_reg?dn00&0007030120.
3. Y. Barry Chung and Motoni Karayama, “Assessment of Sexual Orientation in Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Studies,” Journal of Homosexuality, Vol. 30(4) 1996, 49-61.
4. State Dept. of Health v. Cox, 627 So. 2d 1210, 1220 (Fla. App. 2nd Dist., 1993).
2001 Meridian Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
