James Dale tells his story of taking on the Boy Scouts of America

Part of the incredible Unheard Voices project,

Check out this minute and half MP3 interview with James Dale, an Eagle Scout who came out as gay in college, received a letter from the Boy Scouts saying if he was gay he couldn't continue to be a Boy Scout, and he knew it was wrong.  He started a 10 year legal battle... and ultimately lost in the Supreme Court.

There's also an accompanying Teacher Guide (with an introduction to the audio interview, discussion questions, suggested activities and assignments and student handout.)

This battle with the Boy Scouts of America over including gay scouts continues today, with recent news in July 2012 that the Boy Scouts will continue to exclude Gay people.

I love this moment from the discussion questions:

James said that “seeing those words in that letter, I wasn’t going to walk away from it.” What would you have done in James’ situation? What personal qualities do you think it takes for someone to stand up for what he believes is right?

With California's passage of the FAIR Education Act, GLSEN's Unheard Voices is an important resource for middle and high schools to tell (and discuss and learn about) our untold LGBTQ history.

Unheard Voices is a joint project of GLSEN, The Anti-Defamation League, and StoryCorps.