Rochester, NY —The Seneca Waterways Council Boy Scouts of America issues the following statement in response to the National Boy Scouts of America’s announcement earlier today that 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 Executive Board concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy.
“We realize that the myriad of organizations that sponsor scout units all have different
viewpoints on sexual orientation. The complexity of the current debate is not as much
about sexual orientation as it is about the right of a sponsoring organization to operate
their Scouting program according to their beliefs or faith. It is clear that no single policy
will accommodate all viewpoints within the Scouting family on the issue. Nor should
Scouting be the place to resolve divergent viewpoints in society. For 103 years, the Boy Scouts of America has been a part of the fabric of this nation, providing its youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. The outpouring of feedback from the public reinforces how deeply people care about Scouting and how passionate they are about the organization. We are confident that the BSA leadership will come to a compromise that works for all of
our partnering organizations.”
- Stephen Hoitt, Seneca Waterways Council Scout Executive/CEO
About the Seneca Waterways Council - The Seneca Waterways Council of the Boy Scouts of America serves 12,000 young youth in Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, Seneca and Yates Counties. Seneca Waterways Council provides an educational program for boys and young adult men and women to build character, to train in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and to develop personal fitness. More information about the Council is available at www.senecawaterways.org.
