Local Boy Scouts Pleased By Court’S Decision

Spokane Boy Scout officials said they were pleased by Wednesday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision that says the group can ban homosexual troop leaders.

“This affirms our standing as a private association,” said George Trosko, Scout executive for the Boy Scouts of America Inland Northwest Council.

The news did not spark any kind of office discussion Wednesday, he said. Issues based on sexual orientation among Boy Scouts have been nonexistent in the region during his five-year tenure as executive, he said.

“This is a conservative area,” Trosko said. “I imagine it’s different in California, in large cities. This area is known for its traditional family values, which Boy Scouts instill in the youth.”

Not everyone on staff is happy with the ruling, however.

“It’s a fabulous program, and we are turning people away,” said Chris Yake, a volunteer coordinator who’s on paid staff with the Boy Scout council.

Yake, a self-described liberal who is not gay, said the decision has made him frustrated with his employer.

“It’s a tragedy in my mind (for the organization) to limit itself to a very homogenous group,” Yake said. “It’s a missed opportunity at extending Scouting to more diverse populations.”

Yake, who has worked with the Scouts for a year, said he has been impressed with the organization’s outreach programs to ethnic minorities and low-income families. He hoped the outreach was a sign that the Boy Scouts would soon begin to allow gays, girls and atheists to join, he said.

“It enjoys the fact that it can decide who is in and who is out, which is ironic because it is a member-based organization,” Yake said. “By discriminating, it has limited its own membership.”

However, Trosko said the Boy Scouts organization makes no effort to discover anyone’s sexual orientation.

“But we are compromised when leaders present themselves as a role model that is inconsistent with the Scout oath,” Trosko said. “We believe that an avowed homosexual is not a role model for the values that we want to instill in youth.”

The Boy Scouts have been popular locally. About one in three boys in the region who are eligible are part of the youth organization, Trosko said, a very high percentage.

The Inland Northwest Council serves 14,204 youths in 616 Scout groups throughout Eastern Washington and North Idaho. About 5,500 volunteer leaders participate.