Re: ‘I’ll camp with whoever I want’

I’ve been an employee with the Boy Scouts of America for two summers working at Philmont Scout Ranch, BSA’s largest summer camp. I’m well aware of the criticisms that BSA faces, and I share many of those same criticisms.

One thing is important to remember in all of this. The Boy Scouts of America is not to be confused with your local Boy Scout troop or Venture Crew. BSA is a massive nonprofit organization run primarily by old, wealthy, Christian, white males. Your local Scouting group is a product of the people in it — it could be run by bigoted, conservative men who pass their disrespectful attitude down to the youths in their charge, but not necessarily.

My coworkers are some of the best people I know — males and females from all across the country united to educate and improve the lives of our nation’s youth. Many of them openly despise the closed-minded policies of the BSA, and a fair amount of them are openly queer or non-religious.

The people in Scouting are not exactly as critics of the BSA portray them — Scouting is full of genuine, passionate, friendly people, but it’s also full of young people and teenagers in the midst of developing their values and moral code.

This is why I always encourage critics of the BSA to get involved with their local group or at a camp. Open-minded and accepting people are exactly the types who need to be involved with Scouting to ensure that institutionalized bigotry is eliminated.

Boy Scouts and the co-ed Venturing program are two amazing organizations that can do a lot of good in the hands of the right people. So if you think you’re the right people, don’t just criticize, get involved.

You’ll find yourself more at home than you’d expect.

—casperca@indiana.edu