Summer Camp by Betsy

Unlike their counterpart the Boy Scouts of America, the Girl Scouts of the USA have historically been accepting of their lesbian members--girls and adult leaders and professional staff members.   The policy regarding sexual orientation is and always has been not to condemn or condone any sexual behavior, and that displays of or promotion of any lifestyle over another is inappropriate and has no place in the conduct of adult leaders or girl members.  Inappropriate conduct sexual or otherwise is subject to evaluation and condemnation by the administrative authorities of the organization.

I had a 25 year career as a professional staff member and about 40 years as a girl member and a volunteer leader and administrator.  In those 65 years I have known many women both gay and straight who have been dedicated to the Girl Scout program and ideals.

The Girl Scout program and the places where it is carried out offer girls something unique; namely, a place for girls only, a place where girls can carry out their activities and projects without the presence of boys.  In a girls-only environment, the dynamics are different from an environment where boys are present.  Expectations of the girls are higher and their performance is often higher.  The stereotypes assigned by society to females usually disappear in an all-girl setting.  Stereotypes of acceptable female roles simply do not apply in such circumstances.  Studies have shown clearly that students in an all girl setting consistently out perform those in co-ed settings.  Girl Scouting offers this all-girl setting where recreational activities can be carried out.

It seems that homophobia has never been an issue in my experience in girl scouting with one exception.  Summer camp. 

One can certainly understand how a college aged lesbian seeking summer employment would be attracted to the Girl Scout summer camp counsellor job.  How many times have I heard these words from many of my lesbian acquaintances: “Oh, you worked for the Girl Scouts?  I was a summer camp counsellor when I was in college.”

There are very few times the homophobia monster reared its ugly head in the 25 years I was with Mile Hi Council staff.   Both were very ugly indeed. 

I was not involved in the camp program so I heard this story second hand but I am sure it’s accurate.  During one two-week session of camp somehow word got out that there were two lesbians on the camp staff--maybe more.  The word got to some of the campers’ parents--parents who did not want their children exposed to homosexuality.  In the middle of the session two of the parents appeared one day at camp and publicly and loudly demanded that their children be removed immediately from whatever they were doing.  The mothers were there to take there darlings home lest they fall under the damaging  influence of the lesbian counsellors.

The second appearance of the monster occurred when an acquaintance, the administrator of a camping program told me that she had been directed by her CEO to be sure not to recruit camp staff from the lesbian community.  How do we know an applicant is a lesbian,” she asked.   “We can’t ask.”  “They all have short hair,” was the reply from the CEO, who, by the way, herself had never been known to have anything but short hair.

Ahh! Summer camp.  No wonder I loved it so much myself.  Crawling with lesbians.  How is it that I ended up with a life-long partner who doesn’t even know what summer camp is!

© 25 August 2014

About the Author

Betsy has been active in the GLBT community including PFLAG, the Denver women’s chorus, OLOC (Old Lesbians Organizing for Change).  She has been retired from the Human Services field for about 15 years.  Since her retirement, her major activities include tennis, camping, traveling, teaching skiing as a volunteer instructor with National Sports Center for the Disabled, and learning.  Betsy came out as a lesbian after 25 years of marriage. She has a close relationship with her three children and enjoys spending time with her four grandchildren.  Betsy says her greatest and most meaningful enjoyment comes from sharing her life with her partner of 25 years, Gillian Edwards.