Scout Talks Delayed on Lifting Gay Ban

The Boy Scouts are expected to take up the prohibition on gay members at the organization's annual meeting in May.

Those who were waiting to see if the Boy Scouts would lift its ban on gay scouts and leaders will have to wait longer. On Wednesday the Boy Scouts of America's national executive board postponed until May — at the Scouts' annual meeting — a decision on whether charter troops can establish rules on gay members, according to a Wall Street Journal article. The article states that a task force from religious groups, which charter 70 percent of scouting units, asked for the delay. The board released a statement Wednesday on the postponement. "After careful consideration and extensive dialogue within the Scouting family, along with comments from those outside the organization, the volunteer officers of the Boy Scouts of America's National …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

TELL US: Eagle Scouts Protest Exclusion of Gays

Matt Hallion of Swampscott was among 150 Eagle Scouts who mailed back their awards to the Boy Scouts as of Aug. 26. What do you think? Enter your thoughts in the comments section below.

  Matt Hallion of Troop 53 has returned his Eagle Badge to the Boy Scouts of America. He is not alone. Eagle badges and medals are being sent back to the Boy Scouts to protest its reaffirmation of its policy to not grant membership to open gays, according to a boston.com article. According to a national blog chronicling the protests, about 150 Eagle Scouts have mailed back their awards as of Aug. 26. The Boy Scouts of America have confirmed that medals and badges have been returned, said the boston.com piece. “Each year more than 50,000 young men earn the rank of Eagle Scout, totaling to over 2 million,” said Boy Scouts national spokesman Deron Smith. “We don’t have an exact count of medals returned recently, but we have received a few. …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Swampscott Scouting

Den 7 Scouts Earn Arrow of Light Awards

The graduates were welcomed into the Boy Scouts with Troop 53 neckerchiefs.

  This article was submitted by Christian Lau. The Webelo scouts of Den 7 in Swampscott's Cub Scout Pack 55 celebrated their final achievements in Cub Scouts with the Arrow of Light and Crossover ceremonies at a recent pack meeting. The seven senior scouts, John Dodge, Michael Gutin, Ivan Kadurov, Harry Katz, Cameron Lau, Ilya Pindrus and Jonah Spritz all earned the Arrow of Light Award, the highest award in Cub Scouts and the only badge they can take with them to Boy Scouts. The Arrow of Light Ceremony featured their den leader, Chris Lau and Troop 53 Boy Scout and den Chief Connor Lau presenting the seven virtues of the Arrow of Light, medicine man Wannalancit told the story of a scout's greatest duty and the scouts' parents presented …

• Photos (1)

Scouts Open House Oct. 13

The Boy Scouts serve boys between the ages of 11 and 17 with interests including all-weather camping, hiking and backpacking.

Suzanne O'Brien submitted this article. Swampscott's Boy Scout Troop 53 is hosting an open house on Thursday,
October 13, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. at St. John the Evangelist Church (174
Humphrey St; use the rear basement entrance) for anyone interested in
scouting. The Boy Scouts serve boys between the ages of 11 and 17 with interests
in all-weather camping, hiking, backpacking, fishing, rock climbing,
canoeing, whitewater rafting, community service, etc. while teaching
the program's tenets of character, citizenship and personal fitness. Troop 53 meets weekly from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays (when there is
public school) at St. John's. Interested boys and their parents are
welcome at the Open House or to visit any meeting. The Boy Scouts and
…

• Photos (1)