In 2014, Tess English decided to conceal her sexual orientation to work for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in Tucson, Arizona, an organization that at the time did not accept members from the LGBTQ+ community. English had already experienced the sacrifice of her personal life for the greater good when she served in the Navy Seabee for eight years, and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was still in place. English believed that there were other queer youth hiding in plain sight and that she could make a positive impact on the organization from the inside.
For over a century, the BSA has been a pillar of teaching patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and values to young men, but these teachings were not inclusive of anyone who was not a cis white straight man. The organization’s discriminatory policies started to change gradually, and in 2015, the ban on queer members was lifted, but English still remained closeted despite her colleagues already figuring it out.
Similar to English, Gary Carroll also hid his identity to work at the BSA, an organization that his mother and grandmother were members of and encouraged him to join as a child. Carroll found his way back to the organization as a camp director in Maryland, where he discovered the concept of chosen family. He came out to his colleagues before his family and trusted the policy change in 2015 to announce his sexual orientation formally.
Carroll’s success as an out proud gay executive led to BSA announcing him as the first gay CEO of the organization’s Cascade Pacific Council in 2022, encouraging youth members to take ownership of their futures.
Davis Kellogg, who joined the Boy Scouts as a child, remained closeted throughout his time in the organization. He volunteered at the BSA’s National Capital Area Council, where Carroll served as an advisor, and found his mentor in him. Kellogg sees the organization’s financial restructuring and embracing new management as an opportunity to leave the old guard in the past and rebuild the foundation of its mission with the benefit of each young person in mind.
The BSA has come a long way from its exclusionary past and is still on a journey of progress towards diversity and inclusion. The organization’s financial restructuring and the severing of ties with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2018 provide new opportunities for growth and leadership. The stories of English, Carroll, and Kellogg, who found a sense of belonging and purpose in the Boy Scouts of America despite the organization’s discriminatory policies, are a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of progress.