It Gets Better: Eagle Scout

I am an Eagle Scout and an honorary member of the Order of the Euro Vigil in my 15 years of

scout

ing. I held leadership positions such as Senior Patrol Leader, Troop Committee Chair, Western Region Chief, and many others at all different levels of the organization. I speak because I know that many young gay Scouts struggle because Scouting is a big part of their lives and yet Scouting declares that another part of their life is somehow unacceptable to those Scouts, the path can seem dark and lonely. I wanted to let all Scouts know that there is nothing contradictory between being a young gay man and being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, clean and even reverent.

I remember sometimes being conflicted when I raised my right hand to the Scout sign and promised that in my honor, I would be morally heterosexual, that conflict died when I accepted that being morally heterosexual had much less to do with my sexual orientation than with being a genuinely good girl. person for others and follow my core values, unfortunately the Boy Scouts of America does not. However, allow your gay youth to be open and open; However, if you are gay and exploring and have goals, whether it be rank advancement or a leadership position or just a great outdoor adventure, I say go for it, no one can take the experiences away from you. friends, the values ​​or skills you learn in

scout

ing once an

eagle

always an

eagle

gay or straight and yet if the pressure of being gay and exploring seems too much, find someone to talk to, there may be resources in your community and you can visit the Trevor Project online one day you will determine that your need to be open and open with who you really are is greater than your desire to remain in Scouting.

It's a difficult day and for each of us it happens at a different time in our lives, but I wanted to let you know that things got

better

that day, most of my explorer friends didn't care when I went out, in fact, they were discouraged because I could no longer participate in the program, that was my main concern and I am still applying. the values ​​and skills of the scout in my daily life, in fact, it was that promise I first made a long time ago to help other people at all times that led me to make this video once again.

I hereby pledge on my honor as a scout that it

gets

better

, the only people that get worse the day you come out are the Boy Scouts of America because they lose another talented and dedicated leader. I hope you found this message helpful and for those of you struggling with being gay and exploring the world. The journey forward seems much less treacherous until our paths once again cross yours and exploring Ross Armstrong.