Boy Scouts of America

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Boy Scouts to Review 50 Years of Sex Abuse Files

Any undisclosed cases will be shown to police, says group

(Newser) - With about 5,000 allegations of sexual abuse on file since the 1950s, the Boy Scouts of America announced it would review its confidential files and notify law enforcement officials about any sexual predators it had not yet disclosed, reports the Los Angeles Times . The announcement comes less than two...

Boy Scouts Hid Child Molesters: 'Perversion Files'

400 reviewed cases weren't reported to police

(Newser) - Details from the Boy Scouts' so-called " perversion files "—a decades-old blacklist of child abusers within the organization—are continuing to emerge, and the results aren't pretty. The group helped cover up instances of abuse, as suspects left the Boy Scouts with excuses ranging from "chronic...

Obama Comes Out Against Boy Scouts' Ban on Gays

But doesn't plan to resign as group's honorary president

(Newser) - When it comes to gays and the Boy Scouts, President Obama and the youth organization he serves as honorary president have agreed to disagree. In an email sent to the AP after three weeks of staying mum on the Scouts' recently reaffirmed policy of excluding gays as members and adult...

'Perversion Files' Didn't Block Boy Scout Abusers

Child molesters re-entered organization more than 125 times

(Newser) - The Boy Scouts of America has long relied on a secret blacklist to keep perverts at bay, but that system hasn't worked too well, the LA Times reports. The paper's review of more than 1,200 files from the 1970s and '80s showed that men suspected of...

Boy Scouts: Ban on Gays Stands

Committee reviewing issue was unanimous in its conclusion

(Newser) - The Boy Scouts isn't budging one inch on its policy of excluding homosexuals from its ranks. The AP reports that the organization today "emphatically reaffirmed" the ban, which applies to both Scouts and leaders. The committee tasked with carrying out the confidential two-year review "came to the...

Boy Scouts Must Release 'Perversion Files': Court

Documents reveal molestation suspects across 2 decades

(Newser) - The Boy Scouts of America has two decades' worth of documents on 1,200 suspected child molesters in the organization—and the long-secret files are set to go public. A court has ruled that the "perversion files," cited by attorneys in a 2010 lawsuit, are public record. That...

Boy Scouts to Review Anti-Gay Policy

Move comes amid public outcry over dismissal of lesbian den leader

(Newser) - The Boy Scouts of America isn't making any promises, but it will at least review its policy that seeks to keep gay people out of the organization. The group says it will consider a resolution that would allow gay adults to serve as leaders in individual units, reports AP...

Eagle Scout With 2 Moms Challenging Anti-Gay Policy

Zach Wahls to present petition in support of lesbian den leader

(Newser) - Supporters of an ousted lesbian Cub Scout den leader plan to challenge the Boy Scouts of America's ban on openly gay members at the organization's annual conference today. A petition signed by more than 280,000 people will be presented to Boy Scout leadership by supporters including Zach...

Boy Scouts Boot Lesbian Den Leader

Jennifer Tyrrell launches petition for policy shift

(Newser) - Earlier this month, a Cub Scout den leader and mom was removed from her post because she's gay. Now she has launched a campaign to change the organization's policy. When Jennifer Tyrrell became a leader in Bridgeport, Ohio, she was aware of the Boy Scouts' rules against openly-homosexual...

Boy Scouts Ordered to Turn Over Sex Abuse Files

Family accuses Scouts of cover-up

(Newser) - The Boy Scouts of America has been ordered to turn over 20 years of files that allegedly show that the organization covered up sexual abuse and protected pedophiles. A judge overseeing a lawsuit brought by the family of a boy molested by a Scout leader has told the Scouts to...

Boy Scouts Refused to Report Serial Rapist

Scout leader bounced back and forth from BC to California

(Newser) - Boy Scout officials in Southern California failed to report a child-molesting Scout leader who went on to rape children in Canada, the Los Angeles Times reports. Former Scout leader Rick Turley starting molesting Scouts in British Columbia in the 1970s. He even kidnapped one, served time, and re-enlisted as a...

Family Sues Boy Scouts Over Son's Hiking Death

Parents say negligence to blame for teen's death

(Newser) - A Florida couple whose 17-year-old son collapsed and died on a 20-mile hike in extreme heat are suing the Boy Scouts, and there's more than just money on the line. The lawsuit charges that the organization failed to live up to its own "Be Prepared" motto and that this...

Mormon Parents Banned From Scout Leader Positions

Evangelical NC church blocks parents because they're not 'real Christians'

(Newser) - Holy religious wars! Mormon parents have been banned as Cub Scout leaders in a North Carolina troop after they were told their views are "not consistent with Christianity." Jeremy and Jodi Stokes enrolled their two young sons in a pack operating out of an evangelical Presbyterian church near...

Boy Scouts Create Merit Pin—for Video Games

There's also a belt loop

(Newser) - Because nothing screams “scout” like beating Ratchet & Clank, the rugged outdoorsmen in the Boy Scouts of America are now offering video game merit awards. Scouts can win a merit belt loop (yes, belt loop), by learning to play an age-appropriate, parent-approved video game—and doing some other goody...

Boy Scouts Found Guilty in Sex Abuse Case

Faces up to $25 million in punitive damages

(Newser) - Jurors today found the Boy Scouts of America negligent and awarded $1.4 million to a man who was abused by an assistant Scoutmaster in the early 1980s. The jury also decided the organization was liable for up to $25 million in punitive damages—the exact amount will be decided...

Boy Scout Exec: Parents to Blame for Sleepovers
Boy Scout Exec: Parents to Blame for Sleepovers
abuse lawsuit

Boy Scout Exec: Parents to Blame for Sleepovers

Parents 'negligent,' 'criminal' for allowing nights with Scoutmaster

(Newser) - The president of the Boy Scout council for the Portland area has testified he believes the parents of some Scouts were negligent and even criminal for allowing sleepovers that led to sex abuse. Eugene Grant told a jury in a $29 million sex abuse lawsuit against the Boy Scouts that...

Lawsuit to Reveal Secret Boy Scout Sex Files

Man alleges that Scouts have covered up abuse

(Newser) - The lawyer for a man who was molested by a Boy Scout leader has obtained 1,000 of the Scouts’ secret “perversion files”—which he says prove that they’ve been covering up such abuses for years—and he plans to release some of them at a trial...

School Suspends 1st-Grader for Cub Scout Eating Utensils

Zero-tolerance weapons policies sometimes ridiculous, say critics

(Newser) - A first grader was suspended for 45 days from school for bringing a Cub Scout combined knife-fork-spoon utensil to class, triggering an uproar among parents. Zachary Christie, 6, was booted because his Newark school has a zero-tolerance policy on knives. Horrifying episodes like the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings have...

Boy Scouts Train to Fight Terror, Patrol Borders

Program trains kids in terror threats, border protection

(Newser) - Think of it as Extreme Boy Scouting: the co-ed Explorers program has trained kids across the country in law enforcement techniques for decades. But lately “our emphasis is on terrorism, illegal entry, drugs, and human smuggling,” says a Border Patrol agent of the program. That means charging around...

Boy Scout Bosses Sell Wildlands to Developers
Boy Scout Bosses Sell Wildlands to Developers
INVESTIGATION

Boy Scout Bosses Sell Wildlands to Developers

'Conservation-minded' group slammed for cashing in on green spaces

(Newser) - The Boy Scouts of America has made tens of millions of dollars over the past two decades by selling campgrounds and valuable wildlands across the country to developers, a Seattle Post-Intelligencer investigation reports. The organization—which boasts a "conservation-minded" Outdoor Code—has often exclusively sought deals with developers, sometimes...

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