Sunday, August 29, 1999
Boy, oh, boy, oh, boy scouts
BY PETER BRONSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The next time I get the urge to write a column about gay Boy Scout leaders, I think I will find something else to do that is not so suicidally reckless.
I might take a walk in a minefield. Wearing snowshoes.
Or drive a 1972 Pinto in a demolition derby. Blindfolded.
Or douse myself in eau de fresh mackerel cologne and climb into the polar bear cage at the zoo. At feeding time.
As I found out at the speed of exploding napalm, almost anything is safer than publicly opposing gay scout leaders. (Aug. 22 column)
About 20 messages into my voice mail on Monday morning, someone called me an “idiot” before driveling off into gibberish. What a relief to hear something besides “hateful bigot” and “homophobe,” whatever that is. (Don't ask me, I'm an idiot.)
By the end of the day, I had 40 calls. They went something like this:
Angry caller no. 1: “You're a bigoted homophobic disgrace.”
Former scout: “Thank you for your column. I'm disturbed by the direction our country is going.”
Really peeved-off guy: “I drive a Ford 150 pickup. Is that butch enough for you ya &#@*!... ?”
Infuriated: “Gay does not mean pedophile!”
Pleased: “Thanks for your courage. I couldn't agree more.”
Curious lady: “Is there a merit badge for scouts who kill gays because of you?”
Larry Flynt impersonator: “Wait till you find out God is a #@&*$%* (homosexual).”
Undecided intellectual: Bathroom noises.
At the end of the day the score was about even — half in favor, half opposed. Letters were more scorching . And for some really high-octane invective, check out www.cincinnati.com/talk (try a word search for "provincial hayseed' and "bigot first-class.')
Here's an abridged version:
Webnerd: “Bronson is a bigoted homophobe.”
Cybergeek: “Stop name-calling.”
Webnerd: “Cybergeek is a bigoted homophobe too!”
Cincinnati feels strongly both ways.
Among those who agreed with my opinion that the Boy Scouts shouldn't be forced to accept gay scout leaders, many said they wouldn't dare to say so in public. It's just not worth the abuse.
“Thank you for telling the truth. I almost can't believe you can still put something like that in the paper anymore,” one caller said. (Critics couldn't believe it either.)
Another caller said, “Too many people are afraid to say what they think.”
No wonder. I was surprised at how many people adamantly insisted that such opinions should never be spoken or published, and that the Boy Scouts should be destroyed if they won't accept gay leaders.
And they call me intolerant.
Among the calls that protested my column, I quickly lost track of all the times the word “hate” was used like a semi-automatic exclamation point that ends an argument and closes a mind. Why do people who want to eradicate “hate” love that word so much?
Almost lost in all the name-calling were some objections that struck home. The jokes I included about merit badges for handbags and matching accessories were a mistake. It was my lame attempt to inject humor, and show how people react. I'm sorry I included them. (For the record, nobody ordered me to apologize — it's just the right thing to do).
Also, I was repeatedly accused of saying that gays are pedophiles. I did not say that. I only said that nervous parents would be reluctant to send their kids on campouts with gay scout leaders. And that is the truth — hard as a church pew, like it or not.
As for other questions:
No, I don't live in a cave. Can't get cable there.
Yes, I've had gay friends. But I probably don't have any now.
No, I do not hate gays or anyone else. But I strongly dislike people who think it's a hate crime to disagree with their ideology.
Yes, anyone who writes about topics like this should have his head examined. (Good news: the X-rays found nothing.)
And no, I have not changed my mind. This battle is not about accepting individual gays in scouting. There is no test for “sexual orientation” to get in, although that's where we seem to be heading.
It's about forcing all Americans to conform to one point of view, without debate: Accept and approve homosexuality — or else. Opposition on religious and moral grounds will not be tolerated by the “tolerance police.”
A reader on each side promised to pray for me — one for courage to express unpopular viewpoints, the other for enlightenment to understand each other better.
Lord knows I'm not perfect. I'll welcome all the prayers I can get. And from what I've seen lately, I'm not the only one who needs them.
Peter Bronson is editorial page editor of The Enquirer. If you have questions or comments, call 768-8301, or write to 312 Elm Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.
