From Cecil Bothwell’s campaign:
Asheville, NC— City Councilmember Cecil Bothwell announces today his support of Scouts for Equality, a Boy Scouts alumni organization advocating an end to the Boy Scouts of America’s ban on homosexual members.
Earlier this year, the BSA indicated that it would finally make a decision on its policy banning gay members, but the organization later back-tracked and opted to put off the decision until May. At the time, a Quinnipiac University poll found that 55 percent of Americans support lifting the BSA’s ban, with only 33 percent opposed.
Bothwell and Campaign Director Bruce Mulkey are both former Eagle Scouts who support Scouts for Equality. “The BSA’s current policy banning gays is widely discriminatory, and it’s actually harmful to children. This is an organization that is meant to teach kids about responsibility and morality, not about excluding others,” Bothwell said.
The BSA’s ban on gay members unfairly discriminates against the children of gay couples, traumatically excludes gay youth from participating in activities with other children, and sends a dangerous message to kids that discrimination is okay and that being gay is something that should be hidden. Further, and even more disturbing, the BSA’s policy discourages gay youth from coming forward if they are bullied or targeted by their peers.
Scouts for Equality was formed in June 2012, just before the BSA reaffirmed its policy of banning gays in July of that same year. Since then, the BSA has faced serious opposition from parents, former Scouts, and businesses who are uneasy about contributing to an organization that practices discrimination.
View the Scouts for Equality website, along with the organization’s mission statement and goals, by visiting www.scoutsforequality.com.
Incumbent Cecil Bothwell is running for re-election for another four-year term on the Asheville City Council. Bothwell is an investigative reporter, builder, organic gardener and public servant.
For more information about Cecil Bothwell’s campaign, visit cecilbothwell.com You can also contact Holly Cian, Communications Director, at holly@cecilbothwell.com or 843-906-3419.
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