Scouting For All
Encyclopedia
Scouting for All is an American
advocacy organization. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
whose stated purpose is to promote tolerance
and diversity
within the Boy Scouts of America
in the face of its policies requiring members to be heterosexuals who believe in God
.
Dave Rice and a committee including Mike Cahn, Bob Smith, Ken McPherson and Don Henry, Scouting for All was relatively inactive for its first few years.
In 1997, the effort was galvanized by a letter to the editor written by Steven Cozza
, who later went on to earn the rank of Eagle Scout
and became a professional bicycle racer. The heterosexual young man criticized the BSA's
policies and pointed out potential contradictions between those policies and the organization's own governing Scout Oath and Scout Law
. He called upon the organization to reexamine its policies and invited others in the organization who agreed with him to contact him so they could all work together to effect the desired policy changes. According to the organization's current literature, Dave Rice, Steven Cozza and Steven's father, Scott Cozza are considered the co-founders of the reinvigorated Scouting for All.
and is intended for wear above the left pocket of the uniform shirt, but is not an official emblem of the BSA. The emblem incorporates the blue and silver of the religious emblems knot, the red and blue of the Eagle Scout
knot and the colors of the Rainbow flag
.
The knot was first used by the now-defunct Coalition for Inclusive Scouting as the Inclusive Scouting Award, then later used by the now-defunct ScoutPride.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
advocacy organization. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
whose stated purpose is to promote tolerance
Toleration
Toleration is "the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, ie of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow”. It has also been defined as "to bear or endure" or "to nourish, sustain or preserve"...
and diversity
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
within the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
in the face of its policies requiring members to be heterosexuals who believe in God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
.
History
Initially founded in 1993 by ScouterScout Leader
A Scout Leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit.-Roles:...
Dave Rice and a committee including Mike Cahn, Bob Smith, Ken McPherson and Don Henry, Scouting for All was relatively inactive for its first few years.
In 1997, the effort was galvanized by a letter to the editor written by Steven Cozza
Steven Cozza
Steven Cozza is a professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for Team NetApp.Cozza helped his father co-found the Boy Scouts equality advocacy group Scouting for All when he was 12 years old....
, who later went on to earn the rank of Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
and became a professional bicycle racer. The heterosexual young man criticized the BSA's
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
policies and pointed out potential contradictions between those policies and the organization's own governing Scout Oath and Scout Law
Scout Law
Since the publication of Scouting for Boys in 1908, all Scouts and Guides around the world have taken a Scout Promise or oath to live up to ideals of the movement, and subscribed to a Scout Law...
. He called upon the organization to reexamine its policies and invited others in the organization who agreed with him to contact him so they could all work together to effect the desired policy changes. According to the organization's current literature, Dave Rice, Steven Cozza and Steven's father, Scott Cozza are considered the co-founders of the reinvigorated Scouting for All.
Scouting for All Rainbow Knot
The Rainbow Knot may be worn by anyone who wishes to express solidarity with Scouting For All's cause. It is an embroidered cloth patch that resembles the BSA's square knot insigniaSquare knot insignia
Square knot insignia are embroidered cloth patches that represent awards of the Boy Scouts of America and Scout associations throughout the world...
and is intended for wear above the left pocket of the uniform shirt, but is not an official emblem of the BSA. The emblem incorporates the blue and silver of the religious emblems knot, the red and blue of the Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
knot and the colors of the Rainbow flag
Rainbow flag (LGBT movement)
The rainbow flag, sometimes pride flag, LGBT pride flag or gay pride flag, is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride and LGBT social movements in use since the 1970s. The colours reflect the diversity of the LGBT community, and the flag is often used as a symbol of gay pride in...
.
The knot was first used by the now-defunct Coalition for Inclusive Scouting as the Inclusive Scouting Award, then later used by the now-defunct ScoutPride.
External links
- Religious Tolerance's Page on the BSA
- Volokh, Eugene Freedom of Expressive Association and Government Subsidies. Stanford Law Review (UCLA) 58: 1919–1968.