Boy Scouts of America just made it mandatory for condoms to be made available to all participants at World Jamboree event 2019
According to reports, the Boy Scouts have decided to accept gays and lesbians among their ranks. After the organization renamed itself Scouts BSA, they are also welcoming females into the iconic fold. And seems like as part of the 'inclusivity', Scouts BSA just made it mandatory for condoms to be made available to "all participants" who would be attending its global gathering.
The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) demanded the facility in any country or state that aspires to host a World Scout Jamboree, including West Virginia, which is hosting the 24th World Scout Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve from July 22 through August 2, 2019.
The Scouts say: “For the first time, a world jamboree will be hosted by three national Scout organizations: Scouts Canada, Asociación de Scouts de México, and the Boy Scouts of America. These three distinct cultures will join together to host the world Scouting community in a celebration of cultural exchange, mutual understanding, peace, and friendship.”
Needless to say, the BSA's decision has earned it the wrath of a lot of parents and worried netizens. John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, gave his two cents regarding the condom policy: “It is not clear how far down the rabbit hole the Boy Scouts will continue to fall. With the addition of condoms and alcohol, the World Jamboree is starting to sound more like a 1960s Woodstock festival rather than a campout that parents would want to send their children to!”
Also serving as the chairman of the board for the Christian scouting movement Trail Life USA, Stemberger is proud of the fact that the alternative Scouts organization still abides by the Boy Scout motto: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the scout law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”
According to him, the recent developments “should be deeply disturbing to the churches that are chartering Boy Scout Troops.”
“These policies present a clear youth protection problem that the BSA absolutely refuses to recognize. The fact that they are requiring that condoms be ‘readily accessible’ and are communicating this to everyone – including youth participants – shows that the BSA is both anticipating and facilitating sexual conduct between minors at this event. These policies are both outrageous and completely irresponsible.”
Among the various demands of the World Scout Committee, one of them is that the host nations must “ensure that condoms are readily and easily accessible for all participants and IST [staff] at a number of locations on the site. Heads of Contingent must be informed in advance and made aware of their responsibility in communicating this policy to their Participants, Unit Leaders, Contingent Staff, and IST in an appropriate way.”
New guidelines laid down by the organization also allow the use of alcohol by adults in "confined areas" at the 12-day camping event, the Florida Family Policy Council pointed out. The theme for the 24th Jamboree will be to "Unlock a New World" and promotional materials claim the event will be "a celebration of cultural exchange, mutual understanding, peace, and friendship."
The guidelines for the upcoming Jamboree were drafted after the 2015 World Jamboree in Japan while preparing for 2019 and were released just recently via email.
According to the statement released by the council, they branded the organization "genderless."
“The change to allow girls into the BSA provoked a blistering response from the national Girl Scouts of America organization last year when they issued the following statement: "The Boy Scouts’ house is on fire. Instead of addressing systemic issues of continuing sexual assault, financial mismanagement and deficient programming, BSA’s senior management wants to add an accelerant to the house fire by recruiting girls,'” the council said.
Earlier this month, the BSA announced a change in its membership policy allowing girls to fully participate in the local Boy Scout Troop programs. Coupled with the said change, the organization also elected to remove the word "boy" from its official name to transform into the new gender-neutral "Scouts BSA."
In the herculean 12-day camping event to be held in West Virginia, over 160 national scout organizations representing more than 200 nations and territories are expected to participate. What's more? The traditional event is likely to include openly-gay boys, transgendered boys, openly-gay adult scout leaders and the latest admissions - females.