A Former Scout, Troop 52, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1962 Speaks Out

7/31/01

Dear Sirs:

I am so relieved to hear that the dismal Boy Scout situation in the United States has finally begun to receive international attention.

The United States is an increasingly bad place to discover that one is homosexual or bisexual. As part of the worldwide trend toward fundamentalism in religion, the Christian fundamentalists have developed a terrifying amount of power within the United States. Among other groups which have suffered an adverse change of culture or purpose as a consequence of the rise of the Christian fundamentalists' power, the Boy Scouts have gone completely off track, espousing a philosophy of intolerance.

At a very formative time in boys' lives they are being subjected to a hateful philosophy which puts something called "family values" ahead of the needs and values of actual men, women and children. Presumably, toasters or cars or furniture are served -- but not people.

As a former scout (Troop 52, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1962) I beg you to send a message to the present management of the Boy Scouts of America that they are pursuing a course which will increasingly isolate them from their counterparts in the rest of the world and which does not serve boys or their families well.

Sincerely,

Marty LaBenz,
Sedona, AZ