The Boy Scouts and the Sexual Abuse of Children-the Real Issue

Scott Parks of the Dallas Morning News has written a blog post critical of the Boy Scouts of America for their handling of both the Scouts’ so-called anti-gay policy and their handling of the sexual abuse of children.  While Parks conflates the two issues as public relations blunders, the two issues are quite distinct.  The sexual abuse of minors among the ranks of the Boy Scouts has been going on for decades now, as the soon to be released Perversion Files demonstrate.  It has to do with the immoral and criminal behavior of some Boy Scout troop leaders and adult volunteers who used their positions of power and authority to gain access to vulnerable young boys.  The other issue-whether gays should be allowed a role in the Boy Scouts is a matter of policy and is a relatively recent issue.  They are distinct issues which, if mistakenly joined together, become convoluted.  There is no evidence that homosexuals have higher incidents of sexual abuse of young boys or girls.  As sexual abuse lawyers, our concern is the welfare and protection of children.  That’s why we have focused all our attention on the sad history of sexual abuse within the Boy Scout organization.