Friday, May 10, 2013

Poll: Most Americans favor ending Boy Scout ban on gay members, leaders

Most Americans -- 63 percent -- back a plan by the Boy Scouts of America to admit gay scouts for the first time, according to a new Washington Post-ABC New Poll.

Almost as many -- 56 percent -- oppose the Boy Scouts' plan to continue to exclude openly gay adults from the ranks of scout leaders, the poll found.

The scouts' National Council is scheduled to meet later in May to vote on the plans, which were unveiled last month.

Seven of 10 scout groups are chartered by religious institutions, including some (Catholic, Mormon, Protestant evangelical) that officially consider homosexual behavior a sin.

But the poll found that 56 percent of Catholics oppose the Boy Scouts' plan to bar gay adults from serving as Scout. Protestants were more closely divided, with 49 percent supporting the ban and 47 percent opposing.

Among atheists, agnostics and those with no church affiliation, 75 percent opposed excluding gay adults from serving as Scout leaders.

Pollsters also broke down the results along partisan lines: 68 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of independents said they opposed the plan to ban gay leaders, while 61 percent of Republicans supported barring them.

-- Tim Funk

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

So when will the Boy Scouts allow atheists to be members?

Anonymous said...

NO atheists or agnostics or homosexuals allowed.

But felons and child molesters are apparently fine.

I can hardly wait to instill those "values" in my kids.

Anonymous said...

So why not just form your own homosexual Boy Scouts only with homosexual troop leaders and participants? Why would heterosexuals be of any interest to homosexuals anyway?
Would someone be trying to recruit to increase their ranks?
Its highly doubtful heterosexuals would be recruiting homosexuals for anything.
Same for the military. Why not have homosexual units only?
Do you need sexual orientation diversity now too? NOT.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

We took a poll of all our hetero friends and neighbors and not a single one ever got a call on this so called "poll" or any others for that matter.
Anybody with room temp iq knows polls are all Easter Bunny and Santa Claus magic and pollsters just grab a few numbers out of thin air ... nuttin to it ... easiest money you can make ...

Legit pollsters need to provide the public they try to con with a list and phone number of every single person they poll ... dont hold yer breath ...

Anonymous said...

Funny how the polls publicized by the Observer always support the liberal side.

Anonymous said...

May 10, 2013 at 1:22 PM said "But felons and child molesters are apparently fine. I can hardly wait to instill those "values" in my kids."
_____________
Ummm. A Background check is done. so your attempt at humor is lacking and off base.

Anonymous said...

The Boy Scouts of America is a PRIVATE institution and has the right as upheld by the Supreme Court to set the guidelines for admission as members. They have chosen not to admit homosexuals as scouts or leaders. Rather than try and make them conform to the liberal left's agenda, perhaps the gay activists should start a NEW organization and "show the BSA how they should do business" If you cannot abide by the rules of the organization then go somewhere else. Leave the Boy Scouts ALONE!

Anonymous said...

They need to rename this poll to show more accuracy.

Poll: Most gay Americans favor ending Boy Scout ban on gay members, gay leaders.

Anonymous said...

When the liberal left finds a target, they're unrelenting, whether it be Augusta National, the Boy Scouts or the Washington Redskins. Their boycots are usually not effective, as we saw with Chick-fil-A, because there's not enough of them. They just call people racists and bigots and their message is amplified by the media. They're the most controlling, close-minded people you'll find, and they can't let people with views different than theirs live their lives.

Anonymous said...

Anon 4:16.

Yeah, background checks.

Those really instill a lot of confidence.

Especially when you know that the Boy Scouts have allowed pedophiles to remain around the kids.

Skippy said...

Great news Observer, because there is nothing more important going on today, but make sure you keep pushing your pathetic agenda "supported" by the Washington Post that is about ready to bleed out.

Anonymous said...

this is what it comes down to, seperate your religion from politics and equal rights for humans, being gay should have nothing to do with anything, and honestly, if ME being gay and being with a man and raising my family to be open and accepting of the human race no matter who or what you are or what you believe in, if me being this way gets you in an uproar, if it keeps you up at night if you spend your time thinking about it because it makes you so mad because it isnt in accordance with YOUR religious beliefs? then you might want to go see a therapist. half those boy scout boys are gay anywys, im gay and i was a boy scout. people need to mind their damn business and let us all live and be human beings under god, because in the end, it doesnt matter what anyone else believes or thinks, God has the final word after we go.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous: May 10, 2013 at 4:50 PM "half those boy scout boys are gay anywys"
_____________
Half? It's a wonder we have 7 billion people on the planet.

Anonymous said...

Anon@4:47,

Helps to have a clue what you're talking about. To even be involved in Scouts in any way (even something not really involving contact with kids, like a webmaster), you have to go through a background check and extensive training. Some sponsors require even more.

Percentage-wise, public school teachers (i.e., mostly female people you pay with your tax dollars) are more likely to abuse a child and/or commit felonies than Scout leaders (i.e., mostly male unpaid volunteers).

So, you willing to condemn public schools and their lack of oversight?

Anonymous said...

Anon @ May 10, 2013 at 4:47 PM Your point is not invalid many years ago and any inaction was inexcusable; but I believe Scouts has done a much better job in the last 20 years in youth protection.

Wiley Coyote said...

...aaaand Mark Sanford was going to lose big time to Colbert-Busch - according to the polls.

Anonymous said...

Nothing about the Benghazi scandal on the homepage huh CO? Crickets.

Anonymous said...

I support the Boy Scouts. I could care less about their sexual habits.

Anonymous said...

Millions of boys participated in scouting over the years who turned out be homosexual. Nobody ever asked and none of them ever told. It's only been the last 15 or 20 years, when homosexuality became a cause celebre, that it seems to matter.

Anonymous said...

Funk should stick to writing about religion. He's in way over his head on this subject. I guess I'm one of the 37% who doesn't approve of gay scouts, too. You want to be a gay scout or scoutmaster? Fine, do it away from my kid.

Anonymous said...

Who even knows if this poll is reliable or valid. I could care less what most Americans think. The BSA is a private organization and the only people that get to decide (or should decide) are their members and their governing boards

Anonymous said...

this is what it comes down to, seperate your religion from politics and equal rights for humans, being gay should have nothing to do with anything, and honestly, if ME being gay and being with a man and raising my family to be open and accepting of the human race no matter who or what you are or what you believe in, if me being this way gets you in an uproar, if it keeps you up at night if you spend your time thinking about it because it makes you so mad because it isnt in accordance with YOUR religious beliefs? then you might want to go see a therapist. half those boy scout boys are gay anywys, im gay and i was a boy scout. people need to mind their damn business and let us all live and be human beings under god, because in the end, it doesnt matter what anyone else believes or thinks, God has the final word after we go.
May 10, 2013 at 4:50 PM

Read more here: http://funkonfaith.blogspot.com/2013/05/most-americans-favor-gay-boy-scouts.html#storylink=cpy

That is about as retarded as you can get. God will have his vengenance one day. Why do a bunch of gay men want to be in the boy scouts anyway, should they not be in the girl scouts. I will buy cookies from a Homo, then laugh at his skirt and the way he walks. But I do love them cookies

CharlotteObserver said...

And so the decay, of the once great shining example of what freedom once was on this planet, continues from inside.

Nay, not decay, but actual killing of any future hope for freedom, by a citizenship with only a longing left for the absurd and petty.

Joe Sewell said...

I have as much faith in this poll as I do about the 'official facts' surrounding the events on 9/11/2001. Polls lost their legitimacy long ago.

Anonymous said...

-Just because you don't believe a poll doesn't make it a lie;however, polls can and are manipulated just look at the polls produced by the corporate media that are consistently wrong

- being gay does not equal pedophile

- i don't have a problem with a gay kid being in my son's scout troop nor in my son's pack. although i doubt most kids have a true sexual identity in the age of most pack members.

- i have an issue with any male volunteer that wants to work with young boys without having a scout aged family member involved. i would not feel comfortable with any single gay/hetro man leading my boy's troop. why do they want to hang around young boys?

-as an aside, i don't understand why people think gays/lesbians have more self-control in the shower with people of their own sex than hetros would have if they showered with people of the opposite sex. its not logical.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Funk, you need to examine your values, oh man of faith and values.

Anonymous said...

The TRUTH is.. a poll conducted by an INDEPENDENT research firm 2 years ago when this all was coming out of the closet reported that 98% of Scouting Parents OPPOSE GAY membership. 100% of MY UNIT OPPOSES this. We don't want to lead a bunch of GAY people around nor do we want them near our tents nor sharing tents. Mecklenberg County has the HIGHEST rate of AIDS and the HIGHEST density of Democrats and the Highest density of Liberal papers (100%) and the Highest Crime Rate in NC.= and the democratic convention came to you. Why are all these GAY people wanting respect when WE expect the same kind of RESPECT OF OUR BELIEFS.. go join the gay pride tent club or.. go head on over to the Middle East, and see how warmly they RESPECT gays.

Anonymous said...

The Scouts have had their share of child molesters - so obviously they have had plenty of Gay scoutmasters in the past.

Anonymous said...

News Flash: Godless Americans, Liberal Democrats and Gay Americans want the Boy Scouts to welcome gays as scouts and scoutmasters.

I personally find women attractive and sexy. A gay man finds a man attractive and sexy. So, we should encourage boys and men who find other males attractive and sexy to go camping, shower and sleep in the same tent as other men. Sounds reasonable.

Anonymous said...

So, if you are bisexual, you wake up one day attracted to a man and the next day attracted to a women....should we have bisexual equality? The right of a man to marry and man one year and then switch back to a women the next? What is our stand on bisexuality/sexual confusion? Things would be much simpler if everybody was strongly one way or another....

ALC said...

Who cares what "Americans" think? Such an open-ended poll conducted about how a private and independent organization conducts its business only opens the door to people with an agenda to try to implement their beliefs on organizations that they don't even interact with. A more relevant poll would have been to survey only those people who have been or who would consider becoming involved with Boy Scouts. The opinions of anyone else is meaningless.