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Asked by Steve Croft if the board of the Boy Scouts of America ‘should end their national band on gays in Scouting’ and if Scouting should be open to gays, President Obama offered an unequivocal and unqualified “Yes.” He then went on to describe his view that gays and lesbians should have opportunities in all areas and institutions in America, equal access “the same way everybody else does, in every institution and walk of life…. Nobody should be barred from that.”
A friend writes that this may be the largest audience for a presidential pro-equality message ever. The President’s Super Bowl interview is, in fact, often his largest televised audience, whether or not the American people have quite yet focused on the moving figures on the television screen. The TVs are on nonetheless, and this pro-equality statement was blasted into every home where folks were gathered ’round.
18 Comments
Methinks Mr Croft had The Boys in The Band on The Brain when he asked his question, very clearly, about “ending the band on gays in Scouting.”
Funny.
Teddy – OT, but would you email me at oregondave AT hevanet.com if you’re willing to help get a showing of Patrick Sammons’ Alan Turing film here in Portland? Patrick sent me an email about how. Thanks.
I don’t know this for sure, but my guess is that the Super Bowl pre-game show audience includes a rather large group of macho guys, for whom this message might be quite powerful.
Good news. Can we now please get Obama, through the SG of course, to weigh in on full suspect class equal protection for sexual preference? Seriously, let us just be done with this issue on the grand scale.
What bmaz said.
Also, too, @Peterr maybe a certain macho ’49er heard this too today.
I will ask Patrick to send you an email.
He’s in charge of the Turing action hereabouts, if that’s okay.
I think he probably missed the interview, what with his job responsibilities and having to be at work when it was aired.
But I trust someone will let him know about it when he gets off work.
Dang, Teddy, you’re certainly a busy beaver today…! ;-)
Back later for your Soup Thread, Teddy.
As for now, off to watch “The Sound Of Music”
That’s our Superb Owl Tradition here at chez Steele.
I think this progress towards gay/lesbian equality is extremely significant, but I also Obama has ENSURED that economic inequality (income equality with ultra wealthy and then everybody else) is now the new norm.
So when someone gives you shit about treating gays like everybody else just tell them – you’ve just joined the club, the middle class is the pariah, get used to it.
You caught that too, eh? Thought it was just me mishearing it.
Judging from the first half, it looks like God might not be on Mister Macho’s side — that is, if one subscribes to the belief that the Almighty picks which teams win football games.
He’s certainly not favoring the Niners today, PW…!
According to a quote attributed to Orwell which I cannot find right now or make exact: The Boy Scouts are fundamentally a homosexual organization.
By which he meant I suppose that a certain percentage of adult men who spend much time organizing and being with young boys is seeking sex. Make no mistake that the history of the Boy Scouts in the US is filled with adult men sexually exploiting minors.
For what it’s worth
Pretty sure he said “band” and not “ban.”
That was certainly my experience in Scouts.
I understand the Boy Scouts still have a problem with atheists. Too bad for them!
So, when are we going to have male Scoutmasters for the Girl Scouts and female Scoutmasters (scoutmistresses?) for the Boy Scouts? And the Cub Scouts and the Brownies, too?
Gives a whole new meaning to the slogan “be prepared”