From: kadie@dante.cs.uiuc.edu (Carl M. Kadie)
Newsgroups: rec.scouting
Subject: [soc.motss]  San Diego BSA recent action
Date: 11 Sep 92 20:05:42 GMT
Followup-To: rec.scouting,soc.motss
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL

[A repost - Carl]

From: jhb@calmasd.prime.com (Jim Bishop)
Newsgroups: soc.motss
Subject:  San Diego BSA recent action
Date: 11 Sep 92 06:11:12 GMT

[The following is from the front page of September 9 San Diego
Union-Tribune.  Local TV news was also quite supportive.  One station
used it as its lead story.  For some reason the local edition of the
LA Times carried only a short article on the weather page.

Jim]

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                      Boy Scouts: No Gay Leader
                     Explorers drop popular cop
          Local leaders reject help from homosexual officer

The Boy Scouts of America's local council has asked the El Cajon
police officer who served as adviser to his department's Explorers
program to sever his ties with scouting because he is gay.

El Cajon Police Chief Jack Smith said the council's decision to
suspend Officer Chuck Merino was "extremely uncalled-for and very
unfortunate."

"It is certainly something we can't tolerate," Smith said.

Smith says Scouting officials should let police chiefs decide who from
their departments should advise their Explorer scouting programs,
adding that he intends to seek support for that position - and
indirectly for Merino - at an upcoming meeting of the county's chief
law-enforcement officers.

Smith described Merino, who has worked with the department's Explorer
program for five years, as "superb, just superb," while Merino's
colleagues said he is one of their best.

Merino says he publicly declared his sexual orientation several months
ago at a community meeting in Hillcrest held to discuss hate crimes
against gays.  He thinks word of that meeting traveled back to local
Scouting officials.

Merino, 37, said he could hardly believe his eyes when he saw the
letter from the Boy Scouts in his office after coming in on vacation
time to take care of some Scouting-related paperwork.

"It came as a shock and great disappointment," he said yesterday. 
"I'm preparing a response now that asks why I no longer fit their
'acceptable standards.'  I'd like to know what exactly has changed."

[Comments from BSA and descriptions of Explorer program omitted.]

Merino also was co-chairman of a Hillcrest and North Park citizens
patrol that helped San Diego police after a series of assaults against
gays in those areas last year.  The group's work and Merino's
leadership at the time was lauded by San Diego city officials and
Police Chief Bob Burgreen.

"It would not have happened without (Merino's) work," said Norm
Stamper, San Diego's executive assistant police chief.  "He's and
excellent officer."

Burgreen vowed yesterday to support Smith's efforts on Merino's
behalf.

"I think Chief Smith's doing what he has to do to back his people," 
Burgreen said.  "Exploring is a great program, and I don't think we
can let the Boy Scouts of America dictate how we run our police
departments.

[Discussion of other similar incidents with the Boy Scouts and
pressure on the local United Way to discontinue funding of BSA
omitted.]
--
Carl Kadie -- kadie@cs.uiuc.edu -- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Newsgroups: rec.scouting