The Boy Scouts of America’s “emphatic reaffirmation” of its vow to exclude any and all homosexuals from its hallowed ranks is ill-considered and pathetic, especially in view of its having reviewed the matter for two years.

And the review was “confidential,” whatever that means. Secret considerations, in the closet?

The announcement was carefully cloaked in words of thoughtful consideration by a secret special committee supposedly having “a diversity of perspectives and opinions.”

BSA claims its review “included forthright and candid conversation and extensive research and evaluations.” It is clear that what it is affirming is its established prejudice that homosexual means a type of person who is abnormal, immoral and dangerous.

Sexual behavior is essentially not addressed within scouting, except by the flat-out banning of members or leaders regarded as homosexual. Unfortunately, by establishing homosexuality as a category of person rather than a category of behavior, it manufactures a problem that would otherwise not exist.

Inevitably, the ranks of the Boy Scouts have always included gays, but they are not there for sex. The policy forces them into a closet, but the rule is redundant to requiring appropriate conduct _ by the boys, and especially by the leaders.

When growing boys are watching uncertainly to confirm emerging traits of masculinity, they are very vulnerable to the idea that some boys are “queer, not quite right,” that do not measure up to being “real” boys. They can be filled with inner fears of being different and excluded.

Some are outwardly disrespected, get bullied or called “faggots.” This happens quite apart from whether they may have some seeds of homosexuality within their emerging bodies.

The existence of a phantom category, to be avoided, is only reinforced by the BSA, and its position is destructive. Homosexuality is a human variance, not a moral flaw.

Boy Scouts is strongly rooted in finding adventure in nature, learning self-sufficiency, being of service to others, and building personal honor. There is no place for sexual behavior, anyway.

An openly gay leader

This article originally appeared on: http://thedailystar.com/columns/x318865392/Scouts-gay-ban-creates-problem-where-none-exists