Progress Here, Regress There, Ctd

Remember the reaffirmation made by the Boy Scouts of America with regard to their ban on gay people? Describing it as a policy we should oppose, as Obama did via a spokesperson, would almost certainly be an understatement of the highest order; we shouldn't just oppose it, we should be vocally appalled by it. In a statement given to Metro Weekly, White House spokesman Shin Inouye said that Obama believes the Boy Scouts of America, an organisation of which he is the honorary president, is a "valuable" one "that has helped educate and build character in American boys for more than a century."  The president, Inouye went on to say, opposes discrimination in all its forms, including on the basis of sexual orientation.

I happen to think that if Obama really wanted to make a bold statement in support of the rights of LGBT people — especially youth — then it would require a great deal more than a hesitant backing of gay marriage and some timid, vicarious criticism of what is in essence an openly-discriminatory, anti-gay institution. Something tells me it's far from good political practice, let alone good moral practice, for the president of the United States to be the figurehead of such a group.

Given how long it took him to come around to equal marriage rights, it would be awfully disappointing if he were to fall short of publicly denouncing bigotry like this. And it's denunciation that this kind of blatantly discriminatory thing needs — that is, if we're to realise a few very basic rights for all people (one of which is freedom from discrimination).