Indiana Rep. Apologizes For Lesbian Girl Scouts Criticism But You Know, Not Really
When Indiana legislator Bob Morris wrote a letter criticizing the Girls Scouts for having “lesbian” and “feminist” role models, he also blamed the organization for fraternizing with Planned Parenthood. Apparently giving kids fact-based information about sex constitutes as “encouraging sex,” which makes him sound like he’s from the “masturbation is a gateway drug” line of thought. But after condemning Girl Scouts as a “radicalized organization” that “promoted homosexuality,” Morris has recanted — but not without ignoring Planned Parenthood’s many services and failing to rescind his disdain for lesbians.
In an editorial, Morris wrote that he did not mean to generalize all Girl Scouts, as surely not all troops are teeming with hairy feminist lezzies:
After reflecting on the letter I wrote on February 18, 2012 to my fellow Indiana Republican Representatives, I realize now that my words were emotional, reactionary, and inflammatory. For that I sincerely apologize. I apologize to the Girl Scouts of Indiana and all of the girls and parents of Indiana who are participating in and running their Girl Scout organizations in a way that promotes leadership, community involvement and family values. I certainly should not have painted the entire Girl Scouts organization with such a wide brush.
He added that he will not be honoring Girl Scout’s 100th anniversary because the organization “promotes sex education” and engages with abortion providers:
In hindsight, I never should have written the letter. However, I still would not sign the Resolution honoring the Girl Scouts not because of any local troops or even the Girl Scouts of Indiana, but because of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America (Girl Scouts USA) and its policies. My conscience would not allow me to publicly endorse an organization that partners with Planned Parenthood our State’s leading abortion provider. My family and I view abortion as the biggest evil of our time.
Abortion being “evil” is surely a personal decision, but Morris’s vilification of Planned Parenthood oversteps even a personal moral dilemma as he ignores many of the other services the organization offers to help girls. While I would certainly cite fact-based sex education and access to contraception as two of them, there is also rape counseling, breast cancer screenings, and OBGYN visits (including prenatal care for mom or big sister).
Having said that, it seems that even though Morris apologizes for suggesting all Girl Scout troops to be mini-lesbian communes, he certainly doesn’t apologize for assuming that some of them are — and furthermore, sticking to his assertion that being LGBTQ is a negative attribute. To take that disdain for certain individuals to a public arena — especially when talking about children — is incredibly damaging and hurtful to so many kids. For someone who seems to tout family values, his words uphold a mentality that is responsible for the abuse of queer children as well as those who are gender-variant in some respect. When elected officials express no concern for announcing that LGBTQ individuals are innately immoral, it just makes it all the more acceptable for teachers to turn the other way when elementary school kids use homophobic language.
Morris might feel that his criticisms to Girl Scouts were “inflammatory,” but his apology — strikingly absent of remorse for his anti-gay comments — reveals what’s he really sorry for.
(photo: Shutterstock)
