Claude Mills, staff reporterThe Scout Association of Jamaica is sticking to the position of excluding homosexuals from its membership, a position backed by Chief Scout, Governor-General Sir Howard Cooke.
"Homosexuality is a thing we detest outright. We don't want any gays in the Scout Association of Jamaica (SAJ)," Delroy Davis, the SAJ's field commissioner for Jamaica, said last week.
"When we interview people for scout leadership roles we tell them we don't accept gays or homosexual behaviour. We are vigorous in our background checks, and if we suspect any funny thing, we put a question mark right there," Mr. Davis added.
"If there is even a gesture or a peculiar behaviour pattern, we don't accept them. Total. Period."
Dr. Edward Lee, the SAJ's chief and international commissioner, added: "It's a no-no. We don't accept gays in the Scouts."
Chief Scout, Governor-General Sir Howard Cooke has also backed the SAJ's position.
"Those persons (gays) are not the type of persons we wish to be a part of the Scout movement," Sir Howard told The Sunday Gleaner yesterday.
The movement, whi-ch started in Jamaica in 1910, is a service organisation that helps to instil leadership qualities and discipline, as well as develop interactive and outdoor skills in young males. There are an estimated 26 million Scouts worldwide.
The SAJ said it remains vigilant in its efforts to prevent infiltration of the movement by what it calls the "gay element".
"Each time we have meetings we re-emphasise that we must be aware of this threat," Mr. Davis said. "Something like that would surely kill our local Scouting association, given the homophobic nature of our society, and we are adamant about it. No gays!"
Court action
Last year, the Boy Scouts of America went all the way to the Supreme Court to defend its right to discriminate against homosexuals. The Supreme Court ruled that the Boy Scouts of America could bar homosexuals from being troop leaders.
The justices, by a five to four vote, overturned a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling that the dismissal of a gay scout leader had been illegal under the state's anti-discrimination law. The Boy Scouts of America, which also excludes atheists and agnostics as leaders, said it has the right to decide who can join its ranks.
However, the SAJ, which has more than 10,000 Scouts, has gone a step further, claiming that not even "openly gay" fathers who wish to participate in a father/son Scout activities will be accepted by the movement's leadership.
"We welcome parents, but if they are gay, that's another matter," Mr. Davis said. "We keep away from all gay relationships. It mash up the youth, the society, everybody. A (gay) father/son hike is out of the question. It may interfere with other boys. Sometimes, gays don't interfere with their immediate family. They might look to have an outside relation."
In Jamaica, the Scout Law requires members to be "morally straight". The organisation states that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the Scout Oath and contrary to the Scout Law to be "clean" in thought, word and deed.
Sunday Gleaner efforts to get a comment from J-FLAG, a local pro-gay organisation that agitates for homosexual rights in Jamaica, proved futile last week as senior officers in the organisation did not respond to requests for interviews.
No gay
However, a local female psychologist, who asked not to be named in this story, said: "There is no proof that a gay person is likely to molest a small child anymore than a heterosexual male would."
Meanwhile, the Girl Guides Association of Jamaica (GGAJ), which has more than 7,000 members islandwide, said it has no plans to tackle the issues of lesbian or homosexual leaders within its midst anytime soon.
"We have not had any reason to make such a decision," said Pat Robinson, chief commissioner of the Girl Guides Association of Jamaica (GGAJ). "The constitution of the Girl Guides movement speaks to spirituality and good citizenship, it doesn't speak about sexual orientation.
"It is not on the agenda at this time, but the GGAJ is a democratic organisation whose constitution is approved by the laws of Jamaica, so when and if it comes up, the matter would be referred to the councils of the association for a decision to be made. I have no authority to comment on this matter at this time."
