Local scout officials hail court decision

By ARMANDO VILLAFRANCA

June 29, 2000 Web posted at: 2:16 PM EDT (1816 GMT)

HOUSTON, Texas (The Houston Chronicle) -- The U.S Supreme Court decision permitting the Boy Scouts of America to limit the participation of gays came as a relief to local Scouting officials, though the issue has never surfaced publicly here.

The high court Wednesday reversed a New Jersey appellate court ruling that said the Scouts may not restrict gays from serving as troop leaders. The court ruled the 6.2 million-member organization is protected under the First Amendment to exclude members who do not share its beliefs.

"This decision affirms our standing as a private association with the right to set its own standards for memberships," said the Sam Houston Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, an umbrella group for Houston Scout troops. "The council is relieved that a decision has been reached and we can continue to provide character-building programs for the youth of the Houston area."

Steve Plumley, a Houston Scoutmaster for more than two years, applauded the high court's decision.

	More from The Houston Chronicle
	Man dies after demolishing hotel room City Council tries to wrap up policy for receiving gifts Suit alleges cemetery made grave mistake $4 million capital plan approved 2nd chance for teen in baby's death

"The Boy Scouts don't receive any money from the government," said Plumley, who also teaches karate to area youth. "Any private organization can pick their own charter and their own rules."

Plumley likened permitting gay adults to become Scoutmasters to allowing criminals into the organization.

"We're supposed to teach them morals," he said. "It wouldn't be right for them (gays) to be out there teaching right from wrong."

The high court's decision, however, drew criticism from civil rights groups that charged the ruling would pave the way for other groups to violate anti-discrimination laws.

Scott Cozza, co-founder of Scouting for All, called the decision a loss for the Boy Scouts, which he said has been "outed as a bigoted organization."

"Every American should be offended by this decision because it's a violation of human rights," he said. "It's sending out a horrendous message to our gay kids and our straight kids."

Cozza said his group and supporters hope to get policy changed from within the organization but acknowledged that that may be difficult because of the tone set by the court ruling.

"The Supreme Court decision will be interpreted by people who are bigoted, in Scouting and out of Scouting," Cozza said. "It will reinforce their biases toward people who are gay, and they will use that decision to justify their violence against people who are gay."

Cozza said adult troop leaders and scouts who have kept their sexual preferences hidden will become more protective of their homosexual identity for fear of reprisals. Several biographies of the organization's founder, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, have alleged he was a repressed homosexual, including The Boy-Man, by Tim Jeal, and The Boy, by Pat Hopkins and Heather Dugmore.

The court's decision, Cozza said, will also allow troop leaders to be more tolerant of scouts ridiculing suspected homosexual members.

Mike Sandburg, Scoutmaster of Troop 1836 in Houston, said he remains unsure how his troop would handle the issue, because it has never surfaced.

If it does, he said, the decision about whether the gay troop member should remain would be made collectively within the troop.

"I've never had to deal with that situation, whether it was in the troop that I'm with now or when I was a Scout," Sandburg said. "I've never had to deal with that issue, and, as with most things, we would have to deal with that as it appeared."

High court allows Boy Scouts to exclude gays

AR, Jonesboro, KAIT AR, Little Rock, KATV LA, Lafayette, KATC LA, Monroe, KNOE LA, Shreveport, KSLA OK, Oklahoma City, KOCO OK, Oklahoma City, KOKH OK, Tulsa, KOTV   TX, Abilene, KTXS TX, Amarillo, KFDA TX, Austin, KEYE TX, Austin, KXAN TX, Dallas KTVT TX, Dallas, WFAA TX, Harlingen-Weslaco, KRGV TX, Houston, KHOU TX, Houston, KPRC   TX, Lubbock, KAMC TX, San Antonio, KABB TX, San Antonio, KMOL TX, Tyler, KLTV TX, Waco, KWTX TX, Wichita Falls, KAUZ TX, Wichita Falls, KSWO