Re: Leader Gender: overnite trips
Utah Cox (cox@VT8200.VETMED.LSU.EDU)
Thu, 22 Feb 1996 12:43:26 -0600
Wed, 21 Feb 1996, Jim Miller Jr. <jmillerjr@LSFCU.ORG> wrote:
>We had this discussion on whether or not two female leaders could take a
>Troop on an overnight trip about 1.5-2 years ago (I think?). This was another
>one that had different interpretations depending on who read the rule. I
>held to the opinion that having any female on a trip, leader or not, made the
>trip a co-ed activity. Thus it would require leadership of both genders.
> If we would prevent two adult males from accompanying an
>all female unit, than the rule must also prevent two female leaders from
>accompanying an all male unit.
We had a similar discussion last year (spring) when I posed the question.
My coed Explorer Post was going to SeaBase with 3 crews (18 youth) and had
tentatively recruited 5 female leaders and 1 male leader (me) for the trip.
The 5 females were all over 21 but under 25. Consequently, I suggested that
the Advisor come up with a different plan. Well, she took my suggestion
with this final result: 2 females (ages 22 and 23) and 4 males (ages 19,
20, 24, and ancient me, comparatively speaking). It turned out that we had
15 boys and 3 girls among the youth.
Well, with this combination of leaders and ages, the only workable situation
was for the 2 female leaders to sail with a crew of 3 boys and 3 girls. The
other 2 pairs of leaders included 1 over 21 and 1 under 21 and each pair
could accompany an all-boy crew. Fortunately, I had made the reservation as
both Troop 1 and Post 1. So this was acceptable by both our council (and
thus national) as well as the SeaBase.
Now, someone may point out that an additional adult -- the Skipper of the
boat -- was present, and that is correct. The Skipper was a male in our
situation. However, he did not seem to know anything about Scouting (asked
one of the boys what the "trefoil" represented, for example), and this was
his first trip of the summer. I will not rehash the discussion we had after
returning from the trip about his sexual harassment of the females (youth
and adult). One can access the July or August LOG if interested. But in
retrospect, it would have been better to have had a male adult leader
present. Maybe then his behavior would have been different.
Oh yeah, I know of at least one Troop in Louisiana that has ONLY female
leaders (SM and ASMs) and they do go on overnight trips.
Utah Cox
Lion Cub Scout '57
Istrouma Area Council, Iberville, Louisiana
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
