A mother and dedicated Scout Leader is forced to resign her leadership position… because she’s gay.

Yeah I know… that’s BSA. They’re allowed to conduct themselves in this manner and that’s fine. But I don’t have to associate myself with groups and organizations that conduct themselves in this way.

According to the article, Denise Steele has been a Scout leader for 6 years. I’ll tell you, getting any parent to be involved as a volunteer in Scouting for more than a couple of years is awesome — 6 years is dedication and hard to come by. So we’ve got a person willing to put in the time, the effort, the love, the work, not just for her son but for all those boys. On top of that, Ms. Steele has been with her partner for 19 years. How many “straight” marriages last that long? So we’ve got a dedicated hard-working parent, and we’re going to throw that all out the door because she’s a lesbian. Heck, it’s not like any boys are in danger here…. *sigh*

Again, BSA is allowed to conduct themselves as they wish, but we don’t have to like it:

The big issue both Steele and Funk have with the situation is how it was handled by Inabinett. They both felt bullied, judged and put through emotional turmoil. “I think it’s disappointing – it’s a sad day for Boy Scouting. I think the actions are really out of sync of what scouting stands for,” Eric Ianson, a friend of Steele’s and an Eagle Scout said.

The scout law says a scout should be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind and obedient, thrifty, clean and reverent, Ianson said.

“I mean, when the leaders of the troop hear that, how does it feel? Were they loyal to Denise? It certainly wasn’t kind what they’ve done to her,” Ianson continued. “It absolutely isn’t brave. The brave thing to do would be to take a stand here and say this isn’t right, this person has been great to our kids and it’s time to stand up for her and be great for her.”

Even other assistant scout masters from Steele’s troop felt it was vindictive, like Joe Leonard.

“I saw that he was vindictive and on a witch hunt because he asked her personal friends what her sexuality was. There’s no business in that. It’s a shame that a good leader for the boys has been removed because of one person who’s eccentric when it comes to his religious belief,” Leonard said. “It’s also a sad not that [Boy Scouts of America] has not or is not willing to entertain what other private organizations have done and their beliefs.”

Like I said before… BSA seems more concerned about avoiding lawsuits and problems than it does about adhering to its foundational beliefs. Sad.