Two Scouting families; opposite views on gay ban

Wes Comer, his wife and children belong to an Apostolic Pentecostal church near their Knoxville home that considers homosexuality sinful. Comer says he will pull his eldest son out of the Scouts, despite a positive experience with them, if the BSA modifies the policy to allow some troops to accept gays.

The Tessiers, who live in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Kensington, have two sons who enjoyed Cub Scouts, progressed to Boy Scouts, and continued to thrive there even as many in their troop became aware that each boy was gay. The family is grateful for that, but fervently hopes the BSA's top leaders officially scrap the ban so that open acceptance becomes the norm for Scout units nationwide.

Each family's sentiments are shared by many others, and the BSA — whose governing board is deliberating behind closed doors this week at a Texas hotel — now finds itself in a situation where any decision it makes is likely to rouse anger and disappointment.

On the agenda is a proposal to ease the ban on gays by allowing local troop sponsors to decide the matter for themselves. Critics from the right say that step would trigger mass defections and want the ban to stay; critics on the left say the BSA shouldn't tolerate exclusion of gays by any unit.

Here's a closer look at the Comers and Tessiers, and their heartfelt views:

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The Comers

Wes Comer, as a boy, never tried Scouting and had few opportunities to learn knot-tying, fire-building and outdoor survival skills. He was delighted that eldest of his five children, 11-year-old Isaiah, seized the chance to do so last year as a first-time Cub Scout.

"He's taken to it like a fish to water," Comer said. "Exactly the skills I wanted him to learn are the things he's come back with. It's been fantastic."

The family looked forward to Isaiah to advancing this year in Boy Scout Troop 442 — sponsored by a home-schooling association in nearby Maryville — and for his 5-year-old brother to join the Cub Scouts once he was old enough.

But Comer, who has served as youth pastor and assistant pastor at Eagle Bend Apostolic Church in Clinton, Tenn., says the Bible condemns homosexuality, and he is dismayed that the BSA might relax its ban on gays.

"If that's the action they take, I'll lift my son from the Boy Scouts," Comer, 34, said in a telephone interview. "I feel that strongly about it, and a number of other families around here feel that way, too."

Comer's 9-year-old daughter belongs to the American Heritage Girls, formed in 1995 as a conservative, Christian-oriented alternative to the Girl Scouts. Comer isn't sure what comparable options there might be for boys in his area, but predicted he and other like-minded families would come up with a plan.

Comer, who does graphic design and marketing for a defense contractor in Clinton, has been following the BSA membership controversy closely, even perusing statements from gay-rights advocates who want the Scouts to require acceptance of gays nationwide.

He has followed the news reports about major corporations — including UPS Inc. and drug-manufacturer Merck & Co. — which have suspended donations to the BSA as long as the ban on gays is in effect. And he believes such financial pressure has taken a toll.