Cyclist Merit Badge-Girl Scouts 1920

[Tuckervill]

I got pretty disgusted with Boy Scouts when the whole thing about the Eagle Scout who didn't believe in God went on. (They kicked him out.)

It was a big topic in our church at the time, and then there were the witch-hunts about gay leaders--but that was related to the perception that pedophiles are gay. There WERE scout leaders who abused boys, and a few high profile cases back in the late '90s (if I recall). Since many (most?) Boy Scout troops are sponsored by churches, the "gay" issue was blown way out of proportion out of willful ignorance--in my opinion. And that took away from the real problem, boys were being abused by deviant pedophiles and it didn't matter what their orientation was. At some point scouts stopped being an option for my boys because of these issues, especially the belief in God requirement.

Lots of alternative groups were started because of that, like Spiral Scouts. Campfire Kids had a resurgence. (I was a Campfire leader.) It was a "big deal"--at least to the people who were being marginalized.

eta: Maybe you'll remember this Mr. Silver--In Memphis at the time there were billboards put up by Boy Scouts that to me were offensive. I wish I could remember the exact terms they used, but it was something to the effect of "Boy Scouts--the only scouts with real values." Maybe it was a bigger deal in Memphis than elsewhere...

Karen