Councilwoman Boycotts Boy Scouts Over Gay Stance
Westminster Woman Leaves When Scouts Present Flag
POSTED: 9:15 a.m. MDT July 16, 2002
A Westminster City Councilwoman walks out of the City Council chambers every time the Boy Scouts march in to present the American flag.
Samantha "Sam" Dixion (pictured, left) isn't against the flag. She's protesting the Boy Scouts' policy of excluding gays from the organization.
Since last fall, Dixion has recited the Pledge of Allegiance in a stairwell next to the council chamber whenever the Boy Scouts are present.
"I think it's un-American to discriminate against anyone," said Dixon. She called discrimination a "nasty word."
Dixion's stance against the Boy Scouts has caused controversy among some of her constituents. Some were upset she didn't announce her opposition to the Boy Scouts until after her re-election.
Dixion said she has been called "unpatriotic" and other names and one person even stopped speaking to her, she said. Others have voiced support.
Dixion's son was a Boy Scout for 10 years and she said that she knows the organization does a lot of good things.
"But that doesn't make it right," Dixion told The Rocky Mountian News.
In 2000 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Boy Scouts' standing as a private organization with the right to set its own membership and leadership standards. This included banning homosexuals from scouting or leadership roles.
According to the official Boy Scouts Web site, the organization was founded on the premise of teaching boys moral and ethical values through an outdoor program that challenges them and teaches them respect for nature, one another, and themselves.
The organization is on record stating that homosexuals are not appropriate role models for Scouting youth.
Additional Resources:
Samantha "Sam" Dixion (pictured, left) isn't against the flag. She's protesting the Boy Scouts' policy of excluding gays from the organization.
Since last fall, Dixion has recited the Pledge of Allegiance in a stairwell next to the council chamber whenever the Boy Scouts are present.
"I think it's un-American to discriminate against anyone," said Dixon. She called discrimination a "nasty word."
Dixion's stance against the Boy Scouts has caused controversy among some of her constituents. Some were upset she didn't announce her opposition to the Boy Scouts until after her re-election.
Dixion said she has been called "unpatriotic" and other names and one person even stopped speaking to her, she said. Others have voiced support.
Dixion's son was a Boy Scout for 10 years and she said that she knows the organization does a lot of good things.
"But that doesn't make it right," Dixion told The Rocky Mountian News.
In 2000 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Boy Scouts' standing as a private organization with the right to set its own membership and leadership standards. This included banning homosexuals from scouting or leadership roles.
According to the official Boy Scouts Web site, the organization was founded on the premise of teaching boys moral and ethical values through an outdoor program that challenges them and teaches them respect for nature, one another, and themselves.
The organization is on record stating that homosexuals are not appropriate role models for Scouting youth.
Additional Resources:Copyright 2002 by TheDenverChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
