Gender equality
#151
Re: Gender equality
I was in the Boys Brigade for a short time.
Looking it up now, it all seems a bit Hitler Youth.
Looking it up now, it all seems a bit Hitler Youth.
#152
Re: Gender equality
Middle child was in BB before we came here. He enjoyed it, and they had good leaders. Switched to Scouts in Canada, which was also good, but no drills. He is still a MedVent, which is very well run by the York region paramedics.
#153
Re: Gender equality
Both daughters did Brownies, first one loved it, second one hated it. Time came for first one to go to Guides, did one session and said never again. Got her into Scouts and she had a ball. Second one doesn't do organised anything if she can help it. Guides is no where near as fun as Scouts, can't imagine why a boy would want to join them.
#154
limey party pooper
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 9,982
Re: Gender equality
I tried the Brownies just going once and hating it. I hid behind an upright piano while they danced round a toadstool singing silly songs. Really cringe making, stuff. My brother and his friends had much more fun in the Cubs.
#155
Banned
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: SW Ontario
Posts: 19,879
Re: Gender equality
I was in the brownies, I cut a cake with Lady Baden Powell (wish I still had the press cutting).
My son was in Woodcraft Folk, equality ruled.
My son was in Woodcraft Folk, equality ruled.
#156
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 10,006
Re: Gender equality
I know there are several other replies to this, but I think it's worth rehearsing the same old, tired, arguments about Scouts once more.
There are significant differences between the Scouts organization in the USA and Scouts organizations practically everywhere else in the world. Some of these differences, no doubt, are due to the Boy Scouts of America having been colonised by the religious right-wing several years ago. Far from the inclusiveness and welcoming mantra that pervades Scouting in the rest of the world, the US organization has been very slow to include girls, LGBT youth, and now transgender youth. They still don't admit girls, but have been forced by a court ruling to change their policy so as to allow transgender boys to become members. And it was a very grudging decision a couple of years ago (which actually led to a breakaway of a more intolerant group of Southern Baptists) to allow gay youth to join.
Boy Scouts of America, in contrast to the Scouts organizations in most other countries including Canada, the UK and Australia, is exclusively open to boys in the youth programmes (although women may become adult volunteers). It is also not open to "agnostic or atheist" members, again unlike the organization elsewhere in the world, where the references to "God" in the Law and Promise have been much more liberally interpreted for the last 20 years or so.
I am a volunteer with Scouts Canada, and my children have been or are youth members of the organization. If I lived in the USA, I do not think I would be so keen to be associated with a movement that promulgated such out-of-date and, frankly, bigoted world-views amongst its youth membership.
There are significant differences between the Scouts organization in the USA and Scouts organizations practically everywhere else in the world. Some of these differences, no doubt, are due to the Boy Scouts of America having been colonised by the religious right-wing several years ago. Far from the inclusiveness and welcoming mantra that pervades Scouting in the rest of the world, the US organization has been very slow to include girls, LGBT youth, and now transgender youth. They still don't admit girls, but have been forced by a court ruling to change their policy so as to allow transgender boys to become members. And it was a very grudging decision a couple of years ago (which actually led to a breakaway of a more intolerant group of Southern Baptists) to allow gay youth to join.
Boy Scouts of America, in contrast to the Scouts organizations in most other countries including Canada, the UK and Australia, is exclusively open to boys in the youth programmes (although women may become adult volunteers). It is also not open to "agnostic or atheist" members, again unlike the organization elsewhere in the world, where the references to "God" in the Law and Promise have been much more liberally interpreted for the last 20 years or so.
I am a volunteer with Scouts Canada, and my children have been or are youth members of the organization. If I lived in the USA, I do not think I would be so keen to be associated with a movement that promulgated such out-of-date and, frankly, bigoted world-views amongst its youth membership.
#157
Re: Gender equality
I understand the desire to have women only swimming pools in order to accommodate superstitions about men and suggest that some arrangement of scheduled single-sex use would serve as well as a total gender based ban.
I can't see any case for allowing race based club membership restrictions though I personally would not rush to join, for example, the Ukrainian Club.
#158
Re: Gender equality
I'm glad you agree with me on that - even if, as I suspect, you didn't mean to.
As for the courts' right to interfere in restrictive membership policies: that is exactly what the courts are there for; that is precisely their role if a club has membership restrictions that contravene laws.
#161
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2011
Location: Somewhere between Vancouver & St Johns
Posts: 19,849