Gay Scouts Still Not Welcome
Written by Cory Twibell Friday, 15 February 2013 00:00
Decision to alter current policy banning gay Scouts, leaders postponed
Local Boy Scout organizations from Levittown, and across the nation won’t permit openly homosexual Scouts and troop leaders anytime soon, as the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) postponed making a decision to alter its current policy barring gays.
BSA said the organization received an “outpouring of feedback from the American public” regarding the proposed change to its policy, which the organization will vote on in May.
“It reinforces how deeply people care about scouting and how passionate they are about the organization,” a BSA statement said. “After careful consideration and extensive dialogue within the scouting family, along with comments from those outside the organization, the volunteer officers of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Executive Board concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review.”
Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth, one of the nation’s largest networks serving the needs of young homosexuals, called the BSA postponement cowardly.
“Gay youth already experience extremely high levels of isolation and discrimination in their schools and communities, leading to high rates of suicide, drug and alcohol use and dropping out of school.
“Every day that the BSA keeps this policy, they are continuing to contribute to this problem,” LIGALY said in a statement.
The Boy Scouts’ mulled changing its current policy to allow the organizations that sponsor Scout troops to make the decision whether to allow gay Scouts and leaders. Across the country, religious organizations sponsor 70 percent or Scouting groups, according to The New York Times.
Local Scouting representatives and parents declined to comment on the decision.
News
Thursday, 16 May 2013 00:00
Island Trees Union Free School District faces a few hurdles in its upcoming 2013-14 budget. The loss of the BOCES Geneva N. Gallow building lease and the increasing mandated retirement system (TRS/ERS) adds up to $2 million in lost revenue. The TRS/ERS contributions increased by almost $1.4 million, and the Gallow lease loss totals approximately $500,000, including the utility costs.
Wednesday, 15 May 2013 00:00
What motivates a collector to dedicate a portion of his or her life to searching for the most rare and beautiful forms of a certain item? Is it their love of stamps from all over the world or is it their desire to find the most complex and unique model of a car? From jewelry and dolls to sports memorabilia and computers, a collector’s interests can range from the most bizarre items to the most common. Michael Katz, longtime collector of vintage radios from the 1920s to ’50s, said that the two kinds of things collectors go for are “stuff that’s really unusual and really decorative or the rare and expensive sets.”
Sports
Friday, 17 May 2013 00:00
Don’t miss out on the chance to partake in an 8-week spring flying trapeze workshop! There is one space left in the Tuesday class for adults from 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., and four spaces left in the Thursday class from 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., which is open to all ages.
The workshops will take place at the Aquatic Center at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, New York.
Sign up online at iflytrapeze.com or call 516.640.6995 for more information.
Friday, 17 May 2013 00:00
The Lady Generals lacrosse team at MacArthur High School earned the #1 spot and the title of 2013 conference champions, an accomplishment that last occurred in 2006. The team finished with a conference record of 9-1, succumbing in their only game to Oyster Bay by a one-goal deficit.
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