Scouting’s Incomplete Evolution (Week 1)

The Editorial Board, . "Scouting’s Incomplete Evolution." NYTimes.com. The New York Times, 2 Jan 2014. Web. 7 Mar 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/03/opinion/scoutings-incomplete-evolution.html?_r=0>.




In this editorial, written by the New York Times Editorial Board at large, the recent changes for the positive within the Boy Scouts of America are tempered with the negative realities. While the article acknowledges that the Boy Scouts of America made the decision to allow gay members to join, it reminds readers that the association continues to discriminate against gay leaders. The article continues on to make the parallel between reforms that are necessary within the Boy Scouts of America and reforms that have happened regarding "don't ask, don't tell" in the United States military. Further, the editors claim that the Boy Scouts of America's continued discrimination against gay leaders is inconsistent with the strong moral values that the organization tries to instill in its members. The article claims that the idea that homosexuals are inferior is naturally being transferred to members who have to watch this entire ordeal. This editorial is decidedly opinion-fueled, and tends to portray the Boy Scouts of America pessimistically.