Boy Scouts Committing Suicide-by-Homophobia

When they write the Boy Scouts of America obituary, this will be listed as the cause of death.

Andrew Wolfson at the Courier:

The father of an adopted son and daughter, Greg Bourke was revered as a leader of their Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Louisville.

“He upheld the highest ideals of Scouting,” said Donald E. Overton, a fellow assistant Scoutmaster in Boy Scout Troop 325 and an Episcopal priest.

Rick Tonini, chairman of the St. Matthews Fire Protection District, described Bourke as “a dignified leader and role model” who led troop members door to door each year helping the fire department raise money for the WHAS Crusade for Children.

And Brooke Hinkle, whose son, Seth, was in Bourke’s Cub Scout pack and Boy Scout troop, said, “Greg made Seth the person he is,” teaching him responsibility.

But while Bourke, 54, is still a leader in Girl Scout 1575, he no longer is part of the Boy Scouts. The reason: He is gay.



Bourke was forced to resign last week, about three months after he wrote to Boy Scouts of America executives, told them he was an “openly gay person” and asked, “Am I welcome or not?”


Bourke, who has lived with his partner for 30 years and has worked 18 years as a systems analyst for Humana Inc., had to resign under a Boy Scouts policy, enacted in 1991 and reaffirmed last month, that bars gays from being Scout leaders or members.

Actually, the practical effect of the policy is to bar only openly gay Scout leaders and members. The pathetic closet cases frantically throwing more furniture up against the door to maintain their homophobic facade get to keep destroying Scouting from the top down.