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1)
What is Scouting For All?
Founded in 1997 Scouting
for All is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that
advocates the restoration of the traditionally unbiased values of Scouting as
expressed and embodied in the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. The group seeks
to influence the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to serve and include as
participating members all youth and adult leaders, regardless of their
spiritual belief, gender or sexual orientation.
Said in another
way... Scouting For All is an organization that exists to change the
discriminatory policies of the Boy Scouts of
America (BSA). Scouting For All is not an alternative outdoor scouting
program. Scouting For All is an educational and advocacy organization
reaching out to all people, who believe in equal rights, in our effort to get
the BSA to rescind its exclusionary policy.
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2) What does Scouting
For All hope to achieve?
To restore the local troop
membership policies as they used to be in the BSA. In short, the BSA
headquarters (in Texas)
used to allow the LOCAL
troops to decide who qualified to be an adult leader and who was eligible as
youth member. The BSA headquarters won their right to discriminate (per the
U.S. Supreme Court in 2000) and the BSA headquarters is now dictating from a
national level, the membership policies of every local troop.
For example, a church
might sponsor a troop. Let's say, Church A makes it a requirement that all
adults leaders and youth have to be members of the church to be eligible for
membership for Church A's troop. That's fine. Or Church B might sponsor a
troop and Church B allows its church members or other "non-church
members" to join the troop. However, the local leaders of the troop (of
either situation) still decide who can be an adult or youth member.
Another example might be
a diverse troop, where membership is open to all adult and youth regardless
of their belief in God or sexual orientation. The adults of this local troop
still have the ability to screen all potential adult leaders and youth to
determine their eligibility in the troop.
In other words, we are
not saying that every troop has to have a gay or atheist in their troop.
We're saying that there should not be a blanket discriminatory policy from
the national level of the Boy Scouts but that each local troop is allowed to
establish their own membership requirements, as it used to be.
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3) Who started Scouting For All?
A 13 year old
Boy Scout named Steven Cozza in 1997. Go to the
Scouting For All National web site here: http://www.scoutingforall.org
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4) I find it hard to
believe that the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) really discriminates?!?!
So do we. The BSA claims they don't discriminate and their spin
is almost convincing until you read the last paragraph of their Position
Statement, In Support of Diversity, "We realize that not every
individual nor organization prescribes to the same
beliefs that the BSA does..." That's right BSA-- not everyone
believes in discrimination. Their diversity position statement is more
revealing in what it doesn't say than what it does say. Click here to see
their position statement: http://www.scouting.org/nav/enter.jsp?s=mc
-> Position Statements
-> In Support of Diversity
The US Supreme Court case where the BSA kicked out a gay Boy Scout leader is
very clear. The Boys Scouts of America won their case in the United States
Supreme Court reaffirming the BSA's right (as a
private exclusionary organization) to discriminate any way they see fit. See:
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/boyscouts.html
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5) How long have the
Boys Scouts of America been discriminating?
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6) I will not
feel comfortable sending my young boys off to camp if I were to know that the
male Boy Scouts staff are homosexuals or the scouts
are gay.
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7) How do you respond to a (Bigot?).
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8) Do the Girl Scouts discriminate?
No. See:
http://www.girlscouts.org/
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9) Does Campfire USA discriminate?
No. See:
http://www.campfire.org/start.asp
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10) Why would anybody want to protest the Boy
Scouts renting space in Balboa Park from the City of San Diego?
The City of San Diego
has a strict anti-discrimination ordinance . The City of San Diego is not permitted to conduct business
with any organization that discriminates. It is against the law. There is
also separation of Church and State. The Boy Scouts of America require that
you have a believe in God. As a private
organization, the Boy Scouts of America has the right to discriminate.
However, in continuing to discriminate, the BSA effectively forfeit their traditionally lucrative relationships with
federal and state-run entities. Tax payers money
should NOT be used in any way to support or subsidize discrimination.
Therefore, the "sweetheart" lease that gives the local BSA prime
city property for a $1.00 a year is illegal and should be reversed.
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11) Where can I find the City of San Diego's
anti-discrimination policy?
You can read the City of
San Diego's "Discrimination Based On Sexual Orientation"
Municipal Code on the City of San
Diego's web site.
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12) How can I volunteer and make a difference?
There are several ways to help.
A) We'd really like for you to participate at our rally in the fall of 2006
concerning the Boy Scouts discriminatory membership policies. Our rally is
once a year, with a line up of dynamic speakers decrying the Boy Scouts
discrimination policy. The Boy Scouts of America have officially been
discriminating since 2000 which, in effect, hurts all youth and adults in America.
This is your chance
to actively show San Diego that discrimination
is wrong in America.
You do and can make a difference by attending our rally. Our rally is covered
by local TV stations and newspapers which is needed
to educate the American public about the negative affects of discrimination.
Our News/Events link will be updated in 2006 with the
rally date.
B) Visit and/or volunteer at our Scouting For All booth during the San Diego
Earth Fair and San Diego Gay Pride weekend. Or visit our News/Events
link for more information.
C) If you have children in Scouting, please talk to your children and Scout
leaders that no one should tolerate discrimination. There are badges now
available that a child can wear to show his position and a unit can obtain a
ribbon as a non-discriminatory unit, for a troop, pack or post. For more
information e-mail San Diego Scouting For All: howmen@sbcglobal.net
D) Send a letter your local Boy Scout San Diego Imperial Council and tell
them in your own words that discrimination is not American and absolutely
wrong. We recommend you write to:
Mr. Sean Roy
Director of Field Service
San Diego-Imperial Council
Boy Scouts of America
1207 Upas Street
San Diego, CA 92103-5127
and also write to the national Boy Scout of America headquarters here:
Roy Williams
Chief Scout Executive
Boy Scouts of America
1325 West Walnut Hill Lane
Irving, TX 75015-2079
Our resource section has many web sites for research, if
necessary. There are also numerous letters to different councils, as well as
speeches dissenting with the BSA's national policy
that would provide plenty of ideas and content for your own letter. See the Scouting For All
(national) web site for this information.
E) Are you part of a group that believes in diversity? We recommend that you
withhold your funds from the Boy Scouts of America and divert them to more
deserving organizations such as Campfire USA , Girl Scouts , YMCA , YWCA
, and 4-H
and other organizations which do not discriminate.
F) Write to the local
United Way
of San Diego and tell them to stop funding the
Boy Scouts in San Diego.
There are around 60 United Ways in the US which have withdrawn funding to the the Boy Scouts.
United Way of San Diego County
4699 Murphy Canyon Road
San
Diego,
CA 92123-4320
Director for
Marketing
Phone: (858) 636-4172
Phil Dietz invites
everyone to write well-written letters to assist the United Way in making their decision as
to whether they fund the Boy Scouts in 2006. Mr. Dietz said that a stack of
letters asking not to fund the Boy Scouts will carry more weight than phone
calls. However, they still welcome phone calls and they do take note of the
calls they receive so please feel free to call and voice your opinion.
Your letters should,
in a logical manner, point out the reasons why the discriminatory membership
policies of the Boy Scouts hurt both youth and adults alike. Another idea, is to let the United Way know you will no longer
contribute to them in San Diego
as long as United Way
continues to donate funds to the BSA.
The United Way of San Diego gave the San
Diego Boy Scouts $30,253 for their fiscal year July 2004 through June 2005.
The United Way
gives to many non-discriminatory nonprofit organizations; however, their
decision last year to give money to the most prominent discriminatory youth
organization, the Boy Scouts, is absolutely un-Amercian.
Is America
not about equal rights for everyone? Equal rights is equal rights is equal
rights.
In conclusion, let's
get those letters going as the United
Way's fiscal year begins July 2006. Thanks for
helping stamp out discrimination, hatred, and intolerance in America.
G) Donate to our group.
All members for Scouting For All are volunteer,
there are no paid members. We have expenses and we need your monetary help to
continue to fight discrimination. You can also join our group to help support
a future where the Boy Scouts of America do not discriminate. You can find an
application to join through Scouting For All National or you can locally e-mail the San
Diego Scouting For All here: howmen@sbcglobal.net
H) Contact your local
San Diego Council Person. The current list of San Diego city officials is listed below.
The most effective method of contacting your local Council Person is in this
order:
- Write a letter to your
Council Person. (Most effective.)
- Fax a letter to your
Council Person.
- Phone in your opinion.
- E-mail your Council
Person. (Least effective because e-mails can be easily deleted.)
Whew... it takes a
lot of work to educate people that discrimination, bigotry, hate, and
intolerance is not American.
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13) Where are the name and addresses of the San Diego City Council
Members?
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The City of San Diego Official Web Site
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City Council of
San Diego
Phone: (619) 236-6440
202 C Street, 10th Floor
San Diego, CA 92101-4806
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Mayor Jerry Sanders
202 C Street,
11th Floor
San Diego, CA 92101-4806
Phone (619) 236-6330
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District
1
Scott Peters
202 C
Street, MS #10A
San Diego, CA 92101-4806
Phone (619) 236-6611
Fax (619) 236-6999
scottpeters@sandiego.gov
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District
2
Kevin Faulconer
202 C Street, MS
#10A
San Diego, CA 92101-4806
Phone (619) 236-6622
Fax (619) 236-6996
kevinfaulconer@sandiego.gov
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District
3
Toni Atkins
202 C Street, MS
#10A
San Diego, CA 92101-4806
Phone (619) 236-6633
Fax (619) 595-1481
toniatkins@sandiego.gov
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District
4
Tony Young
202 C Street, MS
#10A
San Diego, CA 92101-4806
Phone (619) 236-6644
Fax (619) 236-7273
anthonyyoung@sandiego.gov
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District
5
Brian Maienschein
202 C Street, MS #10A
San Diego, CA 92101-4806
Phone (619) 236-6655
Fax (619) 238-0915
bmaienschein@sandiego.gov
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District
6
Donna Frye
202 C Street, MS
#10A
San Diego, CA 92101-4806
Phone (619) 236-6616
Fax (619) 236-7329
donnafrye@sandiego.gov
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District
7
Jim Madaffer
202 C Street, MS
#10A
San Diego, CA 92101-4806
Phone (619) 236-6677
Fax (619) 238-1360
jmadaffer@sandiego.gov
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District
8
Ben Hueso
202 C Street, MS #10A
San Diego, CA 92101-4806
Phone (619) 236-6688
Fax (619) 231-7918
benhueso@sandiego.gov
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14) Where are your Press Releases?
Press Releases are found on the News/Events page.
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15) How do I donate to Scouting For All?
PLEASE EARMARK
YOUR DONATION FOR SAN DIEGO
SCOUTING FOR ALL.
All donations to Scouting For All are tax deductible. We are a 501C-3
nonprofit charitable organization. We use the funds for administrative costs,
travel expenses for guest speakers, and supplies. This is a grass roots
organization and all members of the San Diego Scouting For All Alliance are
volunteers.
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