In the wake of the Boy Scouts of America’s decision to allow gay members, we have basically seen reactions from three different groups of people:

1) You have the people (like me) who are disappointed that the BSA still bans gay scout leaders and atheists. The group took a nice baby step in the right direction, but they are still a bigoted organization as far as we’re concerned.

2) You have the people — relatively few of them, I would think — who are just proud that the BSA finally let in gay scouts. They’re less concerned about the other bans and are just celebrating what they consider a huge step forward.

3) You have the religious conservatives, who think the BSA has stained its reputation by caving in to the public outcry and gave up one of the best things it had going for it.

Regarding this last group… what exactly are they worried about?

Matt Barber of Liberty Counsel Action gives us some insight into the fear:

What’s the next step? Activists now demand that adult men who desire sex with other males (“gay” scout masters) be allowed to take your sons camping overnight. Soon they’ll be insisting that “transgender boys” (girls who wish they were boys) be allowed to join as well. What a camping trip! Imagine the pup tent. Your son and Jimmy — who’s got a crush on him — along with Billy and Billy’s boyfriend Bobby, all snuggly warm in the middle of nowhere. But make room for Sammy (formerly Suzie) and Sammy’s boyfriend Gary (formerly Gertrude). Don’t forget to hang the disco ball.

So… implying that gay leaders would molest the children and that gay scouts (who are barely old enough to even have crushes) are automatically going to cuddle up next to their fellow troop members… and throwing in some transphobic comments just for good measure. Way to be rational there. (Edit: I was referring to Cub Scouts not being old enough to want to cuddle. Sorry for the confusion!)

In other words, the Christian Right has no good reason to be worried. All they have are stereotypes rooted in bigotry and their own paranoia. It’s the same thing we see when it comes to marriage equality and it’s the same thing we saw when it came to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

My favorite bit of delusion thinking, though, comes in the form of conservative columnists and commenters who say that the BSA is now a godless organization.

A godless organization that refuses to admit godless people.

There’s some Christian logic for you.



