VOA常速英语2105--美国童子军接受同性恋领袖（在线收听）

美国童子军接受同性恋领袖

OTTAWA, ILLINOIS— For years, Boy Scouts from across the country made an annual pilgrimage to Ottawa, Illinois, which proudly promotes itself as the “Home of the Founder” of the Boy Scouts of America, William Dickson Boyce.

多年来，美国各地的童子军们每年都会朝拜伊利诺斯州渥太华市，该市自称为是美国童子军创始者威廉·迪克森·柏易斯的故乡。

“He lived here during the formative years of the Boy Scouts, and he is buried here.”Mollie Perrot is the executive director of the Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage Museum, where the history of the Scouting movement worldwide is on display.

“在童子军的创立阶段他就生活在这里，后来被埋葬在这里。”莫里·佩罗特是渥太华历史与童子军遗产博物馆的执行董事，全世界童子军活动的历史都在这里展览。

Perrot knows about change: She was once a Boy Scout leader at a time when women were just being accepted into the organization.

佩罗特了解其中的变革，在妇女刚被接纳进入该组织时她就曾是童子军的领袖了。

“And it was still pretty much a men's club," she said. "But there are a lot of women leaders today, and that’s changed. Initially, it was 'getting over the humps,' you might say.”

“这仍然是个男人俱乐部，但如今有很多女性领袖，这一点已经改变了，最终是要跨越一些障碍的。”

Perrot believes the Boy Scouts will also get over the humps expected following the organization's decision to accept gay leaders.

佩罗特认为，在该组织决定接纳同性恋领袖后，童子军也要克服一些障碍。

"They may experience the same thing the women experienced, ostensibly, some little bit of ostracism, and then acceptance," she said.

“他们可能要经历女性所经历的那些障碍，先是排斥，然后是接纳。”

"Move beyond the political and social side of it, and come back to what Scouting is all about, and that’s the young men and women it serves — to make them better as citizens of our country and the world.”

“超越它所涉及的政治和社会方面，回到童子军本身的意义上来，那就是它所服务的年轻男女，让他们成为美国和全世界更好的公民。”

The decision in Skelly’s view, was in evitable. Involved with Boy Scouts since he was 7 years old, Skelly says Scouting’s focus has never been, and never should be, on its leaders' sexual orientation.

在斯凯利看来，这一决定是不可避免的，斯凯利自7岁起就参加了童子军，他说童子军关注的重点从来都不是，也从来不应该是领袖的性取向。

“Ideally, the lifestyles of the leaders should not come into play, but that’s an ideal world,” he said.

“从原则上看不应该考虑领袖的生活方式，但那是理想化的世界。”

Mollie Perrot says she believes the changes won't end there.

莫里·佩罗特说她认为改变不会就此结束。

“Boy Scouts does not embrace atheists either, and there’s pressure from externals，I think it’s going to force a lot of changes in that regard.”

“童子军也不接受无神论者，这是来自外界的压力，我想这会迫使发生很多变革的。”

Boyce died in 1929. Perrot says she can't speak for how Boyce would feel about the decision, but she has spoken to his family.

柏易斯于1929年去世，佩罗特说她不好说柏易斯会如何看待这一决定，但她已和他的家人讲到这一点。

“Part of his family has said that he would accept, and I have contact with another family member who said he would not,” she said.

“他的一些家人说他会接受的，我也联系了其他家人，他们说他不会接受。”

But whether Boyce would accept it or not, it is now the official policy of the Boy Scouts of America.

但无论柏易斯是否会接受，这一决定已经是美国童子军的政策了。