The Human Rights Campaign obtained an employment application from the Boy Scouts of America which apparently states that the organization will hire convicted criminals but not "avowed homosexuals".
They write:
HRC obtained a copy of their job application, which says: "The Boy Scouts of America will not employ… known or avowed homosexuals." The icing on top? "Conviction of a crime is not an automatic bar to employment" according to the application. That's right – a person's sexual orientation is more of a red flag than their criminal record.
President Chad Griffin writes, in a letter urging the organization to demand a non-discrimination policy:
But with the news two weeks ago that the BSA Board of Directors wouldn't immediately end the organization's ban on gay Scouts and troop leaders, the true colors of the BSA are only growing clearer.
The Marines, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Coast Guard have all ended discrimination based on sexual orientation. Isn't it time the Boy Scouts follow suit?
Discrimination affects the entire Boy Scouts organization, and the harmful impact on young people is what disturbs me the most.
The BSA is an organization that prides itself on leadership. Yet its discriminatory policies seem to teach young participants that it's perfectly fine to exclude people based on sexual orientation. And the message these policies send to gay youth who already struggle to feel accepted is just heartbreaking.
