Fridae

When I was about 10 years old, I came face-to-face with repression. It was scary, confrontational, and inescapable. It was a terror I had never experienced before. Her name was - Mom.

You see, when this writer was a wee lad, he was in the choir. That of course, was before his voice broke (and before he started speaking in third person). Mommy, however, wanted her little boy to be in the Boy Scouts. I suppose she wanted her son to do outdoorsy things like hiking and camping. I however, was quite happy scaling the notes while wearing cheap polyester shirts with poofy sleeves, a bowtie and colourful suspenders. There was no way this could have ended well.

One Saturday afternoon, I was dragged down to the school's Scout meeting thingy. After a brief conversation my parents had with the Scout Master, I was made to fall-in with the rest of the boys.

Not to sound over-dramatic, but tears rolled down my pudgy little white face, and I made up my mind right there and then - no one would ever tell me what to do, what not to do, and how to fucking live my life. The following week, I was back at choir practice. That defining moment made me what I am today - a poor, struggling writer who can barely pay his rent.

Somehow that sounded better in my head.

But if had known of all the discrimination and blatant homophobia that existed in the Boy Scouts, I would probably have signed myself up just to piss off the powers that be.

Scout's Honor is a brilliant documentary I had recently caught at the Melbourne Queer and Lesbian Film Festival. Shot on 16mm, this timely film sheds light on the much debated/berated topic of gays in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).

It all started in 1980, when Tim Curran was ousted from BSA after they discovered he was gay. He filed a lawsuit, went public with it, and for 17 years continued to fight the organisation tooth and nail. The California Supreme Court eventually ruled against Curran, basically saying because BSA was a private organisation, they could discriminate against whoever they chose. Ah, the land of the free.

The hero of the story comes in an unlikely form - a straight 13-year-old scout named Steven Cozza. He plays with his dog, rides his skateboard, and battles injustice (all this without a Batmobile!). This young crusader fights to include gays in the Scouts because page 46 of the new Boy Scout Handbook reads, "You should respect and defend the rights of all people," not "some people." Don't you just wanna pick him up and hug him already?

Of course, the "liberate the queers" cause could not possibly have come from his well-intentioned, but pre-pubescent head. Seventy-year-old Dave Rice - a life-long scout himself - and Steven's father, Scott, guide and work with him the whole way through, starting up an organisation to fight homophobia and discrimination in BSA. They named it Scouting For All. The only motivation of the three men - scout's honour and basic human kindness. That's more than you can expect from a government.

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In a particularly spectacular scene, director Tom Shepard conducts an interview with some BSA hotshot, and without any in-ya-face 60 Minutes type confrontation, subtlety reveals an unnerving bigoted stand behind the doors of the organisation.

In fact, Scout's Honor has several powerful scenes that make a point without shoving it down your throat with a glass of water and a sledgehammer. Intimate moments come across as unobtrusive and genuine, while deeply moving moments� hell, those moments still come across as intimate.

What struck me most about Scout's Honor, was the fact that these three straight men are fighting for what is essentially not their cause. Yes, they're fighting for the values they believe in as Scouts, but it still isn't their direct, personal problem. They march in gay pride parades and continue their petition campaign around the country to make their point, knowing very well the social implications and security problems (they've had several threats made against themselves and their families) that their stand could bring about.

What's the gay community in Singapore doing about their basic need to simply be recognised? No, walking from one gay bar to another does not count as a march. Note to the scene: There is more to being gay than fucking and partying. David Rice, Steven and Scott Cozza know that. Don't you think it's about time you get your head out of your gym-toned ass and realise that too?

Scout's Honor has won awards honouring documentaries at numerous film festivals, including Sundance. It's not difficult to see why. Well-crafted and lovingly researched, it is truly an inspiring piece of art. Its views are political, but its style is not.

For those who aren't quite big fans of documentaries, don't cringe and run back into the familiar arms of mainstream Hollywood. Give it a chance. It's not a dry BBC narrated by Richard Attenborough. I promise (I'm not a Boy Scout, but you can trust me anyway). Do what you must to get your hands on Scout's Honor.

On a closing note, thank you to the Cozza and Rice families for your determination and inspiration. I wish all of you the best in your battle, and thank you for daring to do what others do not.

God bless.

For more information on Steven Cozza and Scouting For All, see link below.

Phin Wong is a Singaporean student in Melbourne who writes glib and sometimes irreverent columns for Fridae to make his rent.