Kay Hagan & the Boy Scouts: What about the kids?
I usually don’t do this, but this is an issue near and dear to my heart. Cross-posted from the day-job blog (InsideSource.Q-Notes.com)
A recent GOP mailer gay-baited State Sen. Kay Hagan and accused her of supporting gay marriage and allowing gay leaders in the Boy Scouts of America.
Obviously, the North Carolina Republican Party hasn’t done its best research. While Hagan has had a moderately gay-friendly voting record in her tenure in the N.C. Senate, she’s no outspoken advocate for the LGBT community.
Several times in her campaign Hagan’s side-stepped answering honestly and definitively on LGBT issues.
From Q-Notes‘ March 8 article, “Neal and Hagan running neck-and-neck in race,” –
When asked about the polling data that shows Hagan and Neal statistically even, Hagan spokesperson Colleen Flanagan countered with a Feb. 6 poll conducted by Public Policy Polling. In that particular poll, Hagan had 21 percent while Neal clocked in at only seven.
The Hagan campaign had no comment on particular polling data, but issued a statement through Flanagan:
“Sen. Hagan is working to give North Carolina a fresh voice in Washington — new ideas and new approaches to solving old problems. Her record of leadership in the state Senate is that of a problem-solver, someone who puts results before anything else. Sen. Hagan is second to no one when it comes to protecting all people from discrimination. Over the coming weeks and months, folks all over the state will hear from Sen. Hagan about her record and what she will bring to Washington, but more importantly, she’ll hear from North Carolinians about the issues most important to them.”
Q-Notes was unable to reach Flanagan to pose follow-up questions about Hagan’s specific support for issues such as marriage equality, employment non-discrimination, hate crimes and the military’s anti-gay “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. We asked for the candidate’s stand on each of these issues in our initial request for comment.
A similar exchange took place on Democratic blog site BlueNC.com, when Hagan quickly and conveniently side-stepped answering in depth any questions regarding LGBT issues.
As reported by The Charlotte Observer’s “Ad Watch,” Hagan’s campaign has said she’d leave the Boy Scouts alone:
Her son is an Eagle Scout. Her campaign said that while Hagan opposes discrimination, she believes questions about who can be troop leaders should be left to the Boy Scouts.
Again… my lord, once again, the gay Boy Scouting issue conveniently ignores the real crux of the issue. The Boy Scouts’ policy applies to both members and leaders. Why does everyone — including the media — seem to forget this?
Sen. Hagan, your son is an Eagle Scout. As a former Scout myself, I know he must have enjoyed his time there. Unfortunately, as I was just inches away from receiving my Eagle Award, I was dismissed from Scouting for being gay, at the age of 14.
What about the youth, Sen. Hagan? Do you believe a publicly-supported “private” organization should be able to treat gay youth with contempt and prejudice? Do you believe an organization accepting taxpayers’ money should be allowed to discriminate against children? Should Congress (you know, the place you’re yearning to go) mandate a national $3.5 million fundraiser for a group that rejects children? What if your son was gay? What if he was the one kicked out and not me? Would you care more then?
You have two daughters. If they were in Girl Scouts, you had nothing to worry about. The Girl Scouts don’t discriminate against children. Did you really like the chance of letting your son join a group that could eventually toss him away like yesterday’s garbage? Or, did you have strings you could pull if it ever happened?
I’m not going to bother directly asking the Hagan campaign these questions. If history is any indicator, my questions would be ignored, or I’ll get some stock, pre-prepared statement that answers every question but mine.
Matt, 22, is an LGBT journalist, activist and youth advocate currently living and working in Charlotte, N.C., where he serves as the Editor of Q-Notes, the Carolinas' LGBT news source. A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Matt attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is still continuing to pursue his bachelors degree. He is the Owner & Editor of InterstateQ.com and has been active in LGBT advocacy work since the age of 14.
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