SCOUTING FOR ALL
Committed to Scouting · Open to Diversity

OUR MISSION

THE MISSION of Scouting For All, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is to advocate on behalf of its members and supporters for the restoration of the traditionally unbiased values of Scouting as expressed and embodied in the Scout Oath & the Scout Law, and to influence the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to serve and include as participating members ALL youth and adult leaders, regardless of their spiritual belief, gender, or sexual orientation.

OUR VISION

WE ENVISION a Scouting movement in America which once again commands the broad respect of the American people, rededicated to the traditionally unbiased principles of the Scout Oath and Scout Law, and in which the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) values and honors the contributions of its gay (GLBTQ) youth and adult leaders, and welcomes the participation of women and girls, as well as atheists and other freethinkers.

OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES

WE BELIEVE AND ADVOCATE that Scouting should be inclusive and open to all, regardless of spiritual belief, gender, or sexual orientation, and that the BSA should cease its antagonistic posture of prejudice and discrimination against gay youth and adults within Scouting. We will work for this openness to diversity at all levels of the BSA, within the communities it serves, as well as the nation at large.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO SCOUTING and affirm that Scouting is a valuable movement for youth, with commendable benefits for local communities and the nation. We believe the Scout Oath and the Scout Law are excellent guiding principles for everyone, and that adherence to them is not precluded by a gay identity. Furthermore, we believe that the Scout Oath and the Scout Law are entirely incompatible with the practice of excluding any individual based solely upon innate personal characteristics, and that to do so violates the fundamental spirit and principles expressed and embodied in the Scout Oath and the Scout Law.

WE BELIEVE that Scout leaders have a solemn responsibility to help youth develop ethical values, to clearly demonstrate those values through personal example, and that supreme among these values are friendliness, tolerance, inclusiveness and respect for diversity. We believe that affectional identity does not bar any Scout leader from exemplifying these values as a role model for youth. Conversely, we strongly believe that modeling discrimination against others on the basis of their personal characteristics is fundamentally incompatible with the basic and traditional values and principles of Scouting, and injurious to all youth, particularly gay youth.

WE BELIEVE that local Scout unit committees (usually parents) and chartered organizations (unit sponsors) have a solemn obligation and responsibility to choose the best qualified leadership for their units based upon leadership skills and abilities and ethical behavior, not upon innate personal characteristics such as gender and affectional identity. We know that many Scout leaders, units, and chartered organizations oppose discrimination against others as a value to teach youth. We believe chartered organizations may adapt the Scouting program to best serve the needs of their youth as they perceive them, in accord with the principles embodied in the Scout Oath and the Scout Law.

WE BELIEVE that the Boy Scouts of America must renew its commitment to its own "Declaration of Religious Principles," wherein the BSA vows to remain neutral and strictly "non-sectarian" regarding spiritual beliefs, and to refrain from endorsing specific religious positions espoused in the doctrines of the various religious organizations among its chartered organizations. As an essential Scouting value, the BSA must respect the diversity of its religious chartered organizations, which in turn demonstrates respect for the religious diversity of modern America.

WE BELIEVE the future of Scouting in America depends upon continued respect for the high ethical ideals of the Boy Scouts of America by a broad segment of American society, and that foremost among these ideals is respect by the BSA for the diversity of religious beliefs, gender, and affectional identity of the youth and adults whom it serves, and the continued reflection of that national diversity within its membership.

Scouting for All board of directors
Updated January 1, 2002