Brand of the Day: Boy Scouts of America
Welcome to Brand of the Day, where we pick the company making headlines for the day and explain five elements you need to know about what has happened for them to be in the news.
Today we feature the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). After years of scandals involving the club turning away adults from volunteering on the basis of homosexuality, the club’s president, Robert M. Gates called for an end to the ban on gay adult leaders.
1) What is BSA?
The Boy Scouts of America is a federally chartered corporation and one of the most popular youth organizations in the country. It boasts almost three million youth members, and about a million adult volunteers. Under the program, young boys are taught everything from outdoor adventure to character building.
2) The History of BSA
The BSA was founded in 1910 by W.D. Boyce. At the time, its mission statement was "to teach [boys] patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred values.” The group’s first sponsor was The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as the Mormon Church. By the end of 2014, the group had become one of the nation’s largest charities, boasting a revenue of $1.2bn.
3) Scout’s Honor
Scout’s must say an oath with their membership, and follow a specific law. The oath states: "On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty, to God and my country, and to obey the Scout Law, to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” The law required members to be “trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent."
4) Treatment of gay males
Strong references to morals and values in the scout’s code has caused trouble for the group. Since its founding in 1910, secular definitions of good morals have changed, though some argue the group’s allowances haven’t.
In 2013, 60 per cent of Boy Scout leaders voted that they could turn members away based on their sexual orientations or preferences. This ruling added to the group’s long-standing ban on gay adult volunteers.
5) Looking forward
Gates’ proposition to lift the ban doesn’t mean that any changes have been made officially. Leaders from across the country will have to vote first.
Gates doesn’t believe that gay volunteers should be allowed because it’s the right thing to do. Rather, he believes that if the ban continues, it could lead to a court case that would rule to lift all discrimination. “We must deal with the world as it is,” he said, “not as we might wish it to be.”
There has been no official word on when BSA will vote to lift the ban.