On My Honor: Lesbians Reflect on Their Scouting Experience

Nancy Manahan shattered centuries of taboo when she and Rosemary Curb published the critically acclaimed Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence. Now, Manahan is back looking at another taboo subject -- the presence of lesbians in the Girl Scouts.For years, the Girl Scouts, the largest voluntary organization of girls and women in the world, has sent a clear message to the lesbians in its ranks -- stay hidden. Although some lesbian girls and women have felt at home in the world of Girl Scouting, others have endured discrimination and hypocrisy. In spite of the fact that its mission is the empowerment of girls, the organization has devalued and disempowered many of its adult volunteers and professional staff, as well as its young members, because it subscribes to the larger society's entrenched fear of homosexuality.That gap between the Girl Scouts' professed values and actual practice can be painfully wide. Despite a policy of nondiscrimination, the organization that has launched so many young women into productive lives as activists, innovators and leaders practices de facto don't ask, don't tell, similar to the present policy of the United States military -- a practice that ignores scouting's own core values and beliefs.On My Honor: Lesbians Reflect on Their Scouting Experience is the first book to explore the contributions lesbians have made to Girl Scouting, the impact scouting has had on lesbians, and some of the problems undermining this relationship.… (more)