A Scout for Life

Gay Eagle Scout Mark LaFontaine nudged the Broward school board to historic heights

A A A Comments By Emily Bliss Thursday, Jan 4 2001

...continued from page 5

On December 4 the BSA filed suit against the Broward school board, arguing its ban was unconstitutional. Despite the efforts of LaFontaine, White, and others, the board delayed imposition of the policy until March 30 while it fights the legal battle.

Joshua Prezant

BSA South Florida Council executive Jeffrie Herrmann says avowed homosexuals are unwelcome in his organization

More About

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter: Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.

Meanwhile LaFontaine's life has evolved into something far different than taking orders from petty officers and Wendy's customers. "Obviously now I'm at a point where I'm very satisfied and comfortable with myself," he says. "I used to do things just to please my parents. But now I know it's most important to please myself." It seems the internal conflict that once tormented him has been replaced by an initiative to fight injustice.

LaFontaine says his energy springs from anger and bitterness, from all the pain he has endured. "I try not to dwell on the past. It's just wasted time if you dwell on it, and you get depressed. You're not helping anyone." Recently he has been making a full-force effort to gum up the works. Since applying to be a troop leader, he has appealed his rejection and is now awaiting a hearing before a Scouts council in Atlanta.

He is under consideration for an administrative position at Scouting for All and recently applied for membership in the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA). On December 28 he received an acceptance letter from NESA president Robert M. Gates stating, "I welcome you to the growing fellowship of Eagle Scouts.... [W]e would like to encourage you to volunteer." NESA is not only affiliated with the Scouts, it shares its headquarters with BSA in Irving, Texas. The acceptance may be significant because LaFontaine informed NESA that he is gay. A telephone message left at NESA seeking comment was not returned, and BSA executive Benny High declined comment on the acceptance.

LaFontaine says he doesn't hate the Scouts. He even asserts that, if he ever becomes a father, he would let his son join Scouting. "Growing up, I saw all too often that people seemed to generalize and stereotype. Because I guess I've had to go through all this garbage in my life, I try to remember to see people as individuals. And I tell people to judge me on an individual basis," he says. "If I didn't, I would be no better than the Aryan Nation or the KKK."