BSA: membership dip & resergence

In response to Jim Herrman's remarks several days ago regarding his
statement that BSA membership is falling due to our terrible abuse
of BSA official policy of not allowing homosexuals join our units.

Jim, I can't find any evidence today of declining membership in the
BSA for any reasons.
In 1971, at the height of the Viet Nam war membership fell(over a
10 year period approx.) from 6.2-6.3 million (approx) to 4.3 million
(approx).
Today, as of the most recent figures for the BSA membership (fall
1994 or spr. 1995) membership in the BSA is approaching 5.5 million
members. This is hardly a declining membership, but the strongest
we've been in 25+ years.

Rather, it seems to me that many are wanting the Boy Scouts to work
with their sons in a wholesome environment and be a catalyst for
re-enforcing the values taught at home, or unfortunately being the
only place that some children will learn right from wrong.

Lets not be too quick to pooh-pooh BSA policies that we don't like
or don't understand. There is very little doubt in my mind that
the clarification of the BSA's stance on the issue of youth
protection and who the BSA doesn't allow to "play with their boys"
has indeed helped membership rather than hurt membership, and I
believe that the membership stats prove that point.

Any discussion?

YiS,
Andy McElhannon
Andrew_McElhannon@baylor.edu

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