As many of you may already know, the Reform movement has taken an official position on the issue of discrimination against gays by the Boy Scouts of America. The Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism representing the movement has adopted a resolution deploring the practice of the Boy Scouts of America of discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Commission represents all of the various bodies of Reform Judaism. In addition, the North American Federation of Temple Youth , the National Federation of Temple Brotherhoods and the Central Conference of American Rabbis adopted separate resolutions condemning the exclusionary practices of the Boy Scouts of America.

The Reform Jewish movement is not the only organization that has condemned the policy of the Boy Scouts of America. Nine public school districts, including the New York City public schools and the San Diego school system have ended school sponsorship of Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs. In addition, Chase Manhattan Bank, Levi Strauss and several United Way chapters have ceased financial support of the Boy Scouts.

For Temple Israel the resolution is academic. We do not currently sponsor either a Boy Scout troop or a Cub Scout pack. Our support of this resolution will not entail the congregation terminating a relationship with the Boy Scouts of America. But, there are actions that we can take that will be in the spirit of the resolution. In a forthcoming bulletin, I will list the recommended actions that we can take to support the resolution. And I strongly support taking these steps .

Now, however, I want to share with you my reason for supporting this action by our movement. The fact of homosexuality is undeniable. We have both adults and children who are gay. I will not debate the morality of this fact; that, too, is a subject for a later discussion. Adolescence is a very difficult period in the life of any individual. The stress of adolescence is compounded when there are issues of sexual orientation that do not fit the norms of society. It is a fact that the rate of suicide among teenagers is far greater than that of most other age groups, except, perhaps, for the rate of suicide among our senior citizens.

We need to be conscious of the difficulties experienced by our children and not to compound these stresses by a lack of support for their problems in resolving issues of sexual orientation. Children need positive role models and what better way to help a child than by exposing them to people who have, in a healthful and positive way, dealt with their own issues of sexual orientation. A gay scoutmaster will surely not abuse his charges than will a heterosexual scoutmaster. Sexual abuse of children is not a characteristic of homosexuality.