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A review by queer_bookwyrm
Morally Straight: How the Fight for LGBTQ Inclusion Changed the Boy Scouts—and America by Mike De Socio
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: bullying mentions, homophobia, child sexual abuse mention, suicidal ideation mention
Morally Straight: How the Fight for LGBTQ+ Inclusion Changed the Boys Scouts--And America by Mike De Socio. Thank you to Mike De Socio and Pegasus Books for sending me a copy of this book for review. This was a nonfiction book that was well researched about the fight for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Boy Scouts by a gay Scout who is now an editorial journalist. This releases June 4!
De Socio starts off by giving us a bit of history of gay Scouts in the 70s who were kicked out when it was found out that they were gay, and continues that narrative throughout the book from different times and perspectives. We see the failed court cases that tried to make the Scouts stop their anti-gay policy that wasn't even really a policy until the issue was forced. De Socio shows us how that policy and the subsequent failed court cases affected gay Scouts and adult leaders. Gay inclusion was 20 years in the making. Boy Scouts was late to the party as far as gay rights are concerned, having only passed a gay resolution policy for Scouts in 2015.
I really enjoyed learning about this topic. I was in the Brownie Scouts as a kid, but always wanted to be in the Boy Scouts, but couldn't since I wasn't a boy. Now anyone can be a Scout. This looks back at the recent history that really hits home how quickly gay rights have changed in America in a short period of time, even from when I was in high school. It was really clear that the success of this movement was due to grassroots activism and staunch allies of the LGBTQ+ community. I don't think the Boy Scouts (Now called Scouting America) are perfect, but they have made strides, albeit under duress. The court of public opinion definitely had more of an effect than legal courts.
I did think the pace dragged a bit in places, particularly the first section and the last section. I don't think it was necessary to give us an entire play by play of entire conversations and court cases.
This is definitely worth a read if you want to learn more about the Boys Scouts in the context of gay rights or if you are a Scout or leader. Especially if you are a youth who has never seen a world where queer people weren't included in the Scouts.
Morally Straight: How the Fight for LGBTQ+ Inclusion Changed the Boys Scouts--And America by Mike De Socio. Thank you to Mike De Socio and Pegasus Books for sending me a copy of this book for review. This was a nonfiction book that was well researched about the fight for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Boy Scouts by a gay Scout who is now an editorial journalist. This releases June 4!
De Socio starts off by giving us a bit of history of gay Scouts in the 70s who were kicked out when it was found out that they were gay, and continues that narrative throughout the book from different times and perspectives. We see the failed court cases that tried to make the Scouts stop their anti-gay policy that wasn't even really a policy until the issue was forced. De Socio shows us how that policy and the subsequent failed court cases affected gay Scouts and adult leaders. Gay inclusion was 20 years in the making. Boy Scouts was late to the party as far as gay rights are concerned, having only passed a gay resolution policy for Scouts in 2015.
I really enjoyed learning about this topic. I was in the Brownie Scouts as a kid, but always wanted to be in the Boy Scouts, but couldn't since I wasn't a boy. Now anyone can be a Scout. This looks back at the recent history that really hits home how quickly gay rights have changed in America in a short period of time, even from when I was in high school. It was really clear that the success of this movement was due to grassroots activism and staunch allies of the LGBTQ+ community. I don't think the Boy Scouts (Now called Scouting America) are perfect, but they have made strides, albeit under duress. The court of public opinion definitely had more of an effect than legal courts.
I did think the pace dragged a bit in places, particularly the first section and the last section. I don't think it was necessary to give us an entire play by play of entire conversations and court cases.
This is definitely worth a read if you want to learn more about the Boys Scouts in the context of gay rights or if you are a Scout or leader. Especially if you are a youth who has never seen a world where queer people weren't included in the Scouts.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Bullying, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts