Note: The following article refers to "Matthew Hill." Due to
family concerns, Matt Comer changed his last name during college. For more information,
contact Matt at matt.hill.comer@gmail.com.
The Chronicle
Booted gay Scout planning protest
By Courtney Gaillard
Matthew Hill was months away from
earning his Eagle badge when he was kicked out of Boy Scout Troop 715 for
acknowledging he was gay in 2000. Now Hill is a senior at
The Old Hickory Council is the
governing body of the Boy Scout troops in
For Hill, the Boy Scouts were a
guiding force during his formative years when an abusive father was absent from
his life.
“This is not an anti-Boy Scout
thing because I still consider myself a Boy Scout, I
may not be a member like I want to be. I’m not trying to destroy the Boy
Scouts. I would just like to see their membership policies changed so that all
boys and adults can be a part of this organization that helps so many, so many
people,” said Hill, who has urged United Way of Forsyth County to stop funding
the Old Hickory Council because of its practices.
Hill was a Boy Scout for three
years before he revealed his sexual orientation. His disclosure came before the
Supreme Court ruled that the Boys (sic) Scouts of America could set its own
membership standards as a private organization, which means that lawfully the
organization can bar gays. Hill claims that he was unaware of the ruling and
says that there was no policy on gays being banned from the Boy Scouts in the
Boy Scouts Handbook.
Hill is also affiliated with Triad
Scouting for All, a network of activists who seek the end of discrimination in
the Boy Scouts. Scouting for All has held rallies and protests of the council in
the past few years and is sponsoring the next protest in April.
The Boy Scouts of America’s stance
on homosexual members is expressed on the National Council’s Web site: “We
believe an avowed homosexual is not a role model for the values espoused in the
Scout Oath and Law.”
“Disagreements within my Boy Scout
troop did not start until the fall of 2000 when I started a gay/straight
alliance at Reynolds,” said Hill, who was dismissed from his scouting program
shortly after he founded SPEAK (Students Promoting Equality [Awareness] &
Knowledge). According to Hill, Troop 715 did not follow the policy for
dismissing a Scout, which calls for discussions with a Scout’s parents or
family minister. He says those discussions never took place. “One of my Scout
leaders talked to me and said that the (Old Hickory) council would be voting on
my membership status….It scared me and I didn’t go back to any Scout meetings
until December and a scoutmaster told me that if I were to choose to live the
gay lifestyle, then I was choosing not to be a Boy Scout.”
The Old Hickory Council respects
Hill’s right to express his opinion and hold a peaceful protest, says Steve
Wilburn, a Scout executive with the council, but the council won’t revise its
membership standards set forth by the Boy Scouts of America.
“We are a private organization and
we do set our own membership standards,” said Wilburn, who says he is willing
to meet with Hill regarding the matter. “The values that we embrace in the open
Scout law are reflective of the values that the majority of Americans believe.
The Boy Scouts of America feels that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with
those values.”
The Boy Scout Oath reads, “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.”
Both Hill and Wilburn have been
unable to determine exactly who decided on his dismissal from the Boy Scouts.
But Hill was told by former council executive Hal Murray that it must have been
a troop decision. Many friends and even fellow Scouts support Hill but none has
been willing to go public with support as of yet.
“There’s never been any full open
support, and I don’t blame anybody for that because you’re dealing with 14- and
15-year old boys who saw the harassment that I was getting from other boys. I
wouldn’t blame them if they kept their mouths shut because they don’t want to
receive the same harassment even if they weren’t gay,” Hill said.
Although he doesn’t think it’s very
likely, Hill would like to see the Old Hickory Council adopt a more inclusive
membership policy. He would also like the council to formally apologize for kicking
him out of Boy Scout Troop 715.
“Scouting gave me a purpose. It
kept me busy. I learned so many things in the Boy Scouts,” said Hill. “The Boy
Scouts teach you so many things about life, the law and (how to be loyal and
trustworthy. The things you learn in Boy Scouts are life lessons that you carry
with you for the rest of your life.”
Hill will conduct an informational meeting concerning the
upcoming protest of the Old
Transcribed to computer file December 11, 2005.