[7090] in APO-L
Re: APO & BSA
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (William S. Grant II)
Sat Oct 30 01:14:45 1993
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1993 21:50:27 -0400
Reply-To: "William S. Grant II" <wgrant@liberty.uc.wlu.edu>
From: "William S. Grant II" <wgrant@liberty.uc.wlu.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L%PURCCVM.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>
> In this respect, the lack of a program that admits boys, as well as the
> policy of a minimum number of female leaders, make it seem like the GSUSA
> are more discriminatory than the BSA (asuming that this information is
> accurate).
In regards to the GSUSA's policy on having at least one female
leader on trips, the BSA does something similar in its Explorer policy.
They (explorers) are required to have at least one adult female leader on any
camping trip that young women participate in. This is meant to protect the
young women from sexual abuse, not to be discriminatory, and I would
imagine that the GSUSA's policy is also meant to be a protective measure.
As anyone invovled with the BSA should know, the BSA is _VERY_ serious
about stopping sexual abuse of any type and this policy is a reflection of
that ideal.
Also, the decision to allow women to become Scoutmasters, as I
understood it from talking to my council and lodge leaders at the time,
was partly instituted because the BSA needed leaders. There simply were
not enough men volunteering their time to the organization to fill all the
positions, so they were opened to women as well.
Sorry, but I felt I needed to add my $.02.
Yours in Leadership, Friendship and Service,
Will Grant
VP Serivce, ABT Chapter
Washington and Lee University
Assistant Scoutmaster, Troop 212
Tidewater Council, Virginia
