Planning Meeting - May 1, 2004

We held a planning meeting on May 1, in East County, for the rest of 2004. A tremendous turnout having twenty people in attendance from heterosexuals, gays, transgender, non-traditional theists-- all people with a variety of backgrounds and all walks of life in support of one thing alone, ending discrimination in the Boy Scouts.

For those who don't know, discrimination as a written policy, is found in the most shocking place in the United States, our own national youth organization, the Boy Scouts of America. We therefore all agree that our work has been for not; however, the road ahead of us is a long and rocky one until the Boy Scouts change their national policy of a blanket discriminatory membership policy against gays and atheists (youths and adults) across the United States.

It is a pointed insult to all youth and adults in the year 2004 that blatant discriminatory membership policies are in place in the Boy Scouts.

Has anyone learned, from history, that discrimination gets is beginnings from hate and bigotry? Search your heart, without asking for approval from anyone around you, is discrimination right or wrong?

Was it OK that Jews and others in WWII where a target for discrimination? Was it OK that African-Americans were targeted for discrimination in the U.S.? Is it OK that women were targets for discrimination in the U.S.? Discrimination still exists in the U.S. and world-wide for many groups of people. Do we want to continue down the dark road of discrimination towards hate and bigotry or walk the lighted road of equal rights, tolerance, and inclusion? Please remember to donate to Scouting For All so that all children and youth have an equal opportunity to participate in the Boy Scouts of America.