Today, former US defense secretary and current president of the Boy Scouts of America took a decidedly different approach to the Scouts’ ban on gay leaders.
He warned Scout executives that “we must deal with the world as it is, not as we might wish it to be,” and that “any other alternative will be the end of us as a national movement.”
Zach Wahls, the executive director of Scouts for Equality, a group that has campaigned for change, praised Gates for the speech.
“Dr. Gates has built his reputation on straight talk and tough decisions, and I’m glad he’s fully endorsing a re-evaluation of the Boy Scouts’ ban on gay adults,” Mr. Wahls said in a statement. “It seems like the Boy Scouts will continue an internal dialogue about the subject and that a change within the next year or two is imminent.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
But here’s the real takeaway: Gates, a lifelong Republican, made a pragmatic statement that reaches far beyond the rank and file of the Scouts. Namely, the antigay faction of the Republican party.
By framing a reality which includes gay scout leaders as a reflection of how the world “is” and not how he “wishes it to be,” Gates shows himself to be a bit of a douche. But imagine how much better off the right wing squawk boxes would be if they heeded his simple advice and “dealt with it.” It’s a rare thing for a Republican to engage in a reality check, but by Gates’ own prediction, “any other alternative will be the end of [them] as a national movement.”
On the issues of national same-sex marriage and LGBT discrimination protections among others, it’s time to go with the flow, guys. You either learn to accept us while biting your lips, or lose relevancy altogether. It’s a simple choice, really.
Gates’ change of heart is far from perfect. He still wants religious institutions, which sponsor some 70 percent of troops, to retain the freedom to discriminate in their Scout leadership.
“We must, at all costs, preserve the religious freedom of our church partners to do this,” he said.
Sounds like Gates might do well to fully consider the advice he’s doling out instead of taking a half-step towards the future.
Jorge Martinez
Who cares
Rangerboy
You guys are radicals! We gays cannot impose our values on people with different minds or views. But Queerty still makes nasty comments about Bob Gates, because he does not expressly state that he is a supporter of LGBT matters, but merely takes a pragmatic and realistic approach. Even this is not good enough and you guys already in a paranoid manner see a hidden agenda and a prevailing anti LGBT mindset. The mindset is his to be, its not our business to force him to change his mindset. We rather should appreciate that he is taking a realistic and pragmatic approach in defusing something which could be conflicting and which can impact on gender orientation and also racial harmony in this country!
Xzamilio
Yeah, I’m sorry, but I simply do not care about his “is-ought” stance, as long as there is in some way equality for LGBT people… his personal feelings are of no importance to me, nor is the way he frames his arguments. There is way too much focus on trying understand why people are the way they are, and if you can change an ignorant mindset, good. But, as long as we have the same rights, be anti-gay, be (r)acist, be transphobic, be xenophobic, but don’t force your bullshit on my life or public policy. And frankly, this asshole [Gates] is correct; he knows the world is evolving and their old bigoted asses will go extinct if they don’t adapt… classic survival of the fittest (the CORRECT version).
I will say this, though: I will not stop throwing the side-eye to any gay Republican/Conservative who considers these kinds of messages from their ilk as “acceptance”… because they are not. And it likely will be that nothing changes as it is.
Realitycheck
Speaking of R, Oprah Winfrey said the old generations have to die, and then R will go away
as new generations are more open minded, it is the same with anti gay sentiments, as the older
hard core religious and republican generations are replaced by the younger we are going to see
more of this change of mentality that is swiping the nation.
Giancarlo85
@Rangerboy: Thanks for sharing, but I fail to see how we are forcing anything on anyone. That is typical right wing squawking claiming gay people are forcing their views onto others. Gates has a half hearted view in this and is resistant to change in his own words. It wasn’t an endorsement of anything.
At any rate, show me where and how we are forcing our views or values onto others. Otherwise, you seem to be the paranoid and delusional one here.
petensfo
Yeah, that dealing with the world “as we wish it could be” immediately burned me. I dismissed it as a way of pacifying his audience which, if they made it to a national Boy Scouts convention, was likely pretty conservative.
It will be a misstep if they allow churches to discriminate re: the leadership of the troops. Churches should decide if they accept the policy or not when they agree to sponsor & live with the ramifications. Otherwise, they’re courting controversy again and again on an individual basis.
Realitycheck
Guys think of the target audience for the speech, in real life it doesn’t work to
charge people like a war tank, people get upset and walk away.
So when dealing with antigay conservative, a sentence like “we must deal with the world as it is, not as we might wish it to be,” will be much more effective
and it is most likely the best way to get gays accepted by that bigoted crowd.
It also mean there are now many pro gay people in the room that need to be recognized, by the organization.
And the key is that acceptance, because by changing the young we change
the future.
The same applies for Queerty, if the article said, “this is great”, some would be lived, the target audience again….
Realitycheck
sorry that was “Peeved” not lived…autocorrection from hell does it again…
Mykaels
“…Gates shows himself to be a bit of a douche.”
Um, no, it shows himself to be a normal adult. All of us have to “deal with” certain segments of the population that many of us would rather “not exist”. I hate organized religion and yet I have coworkers who are christian, catholic, etc. I have to “deal with it” because I am an adult. Several of my straight men date “girly chicks who need a man to do hard stuff for them”. I cannot stand those types of women, but I am an adult and have to deal with them.
I really do not care if someone likes me or not, just get out of my way of civil equality.
jwtraveler
I notice he doesn’t mention the Scouts’ prohibition of atheists. I guess it’s now OK to be gay as long as you share their religious delusions and intolerance. Let’s see all the gay Christians rush to embrace the new gay-friendly Boy Scouts and join their condemnation of atheists. I’ll pass.
James Hart
I don’t think that the Republican Party will ever embrace gay marriage or abortion. I think that what may happen is that they will say in their platform that both issues are up to the consciences of the individual Republican. They will take no stand on either side because they need their base (Evangelical) voters and they need moderate voters, therefore, leaving it up to individual conscience is the only way to placate both sides. That’s what happened to the New York State Republican Party platform.
James Hart
@Rangerboy: I’m a Democrat, but I agree with you. I’m a moderate. I don’t like demonizing anyone. I would rather find common ground where everyone feels valued: Gay and straight, religious and atheist, Democrat and Republican. My mother taught me that the world isn’t black or white, but shades of grey.