Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit

Former Boy Scout leader, expelled from organization because of sexual orientation, to speak on his experiences during Oct. 16 visit to Syracuse University campus

Monday, October 7, 2002, By News Staff
Share

Former Boy Scout leader, expelled from organization because of sexual orientation, to speak on his experiences during Oct. 16 visit to Syracuse University campusOctober 07, 2002Matthew Wardsuprideunion@yahoo.com

Syracuse University Pride Union will feature a presentation by former Eagle Scout James Dale Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Schine Student Center’s Goldstein Auditorium. Tickets are $5 for the general public and $3 for students with an SU I.D., and are available at the Schine Box Office, 443-4517, beginning Oct. 9. Dale’s visit is presented in cooperation with the University’s LGBT Resource Center.

Dale spent 12 years of his life serving the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), eventually rising to the rank of Eagle Scout and volunteering as an assistant scoutmaster, until the organization expelled him in 1990 for being gay. Dale contacted Lambda Legal Defense, which helped him file suit against the BSA.

In 1995, a New Jersey judge ruled against Dale, quoting the Bible and declaring homosexuality “criminal and immoral,” Those remarks generated national media attention.

A state appellate court overturned that decision in 1998, followed by a landmark ruling by the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously finding that anti-gay discrimination violates state anti-discrimination laws. The BSA appealed to the United States Supreme Court, and in 2000, a deeply divided court ruled that the Scouts’ right to “free expression and free association” would be violated if they were forced to allow people who do not fit with their definition of moral values to be members of the organization.

Since the ruling, corporations, schools and individuals have disassociated themselves with the BSA, several in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered civil rights. Dale now resides in New York City and is the vice president of a publishing company. He also speaks at schools and universities nationwide about personal empowerment, civil rights and HIV prevention.

“Pride Union has invited James Dale to SU and SUNY ESF because of the relevancy of his case to the LGBT community and its importance to the ‘coming out’ process,” says Thomas Boisvert, a Syracuse University senior and Pride Union’s social events chairperson.

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • Syracuse University, Lockerbie Academy Reimagine Partnership, Strengthen Bond
    Friday, May 23, 2025, By News Staff
  • Snapshots From Route 66: One Student’s Journey to Newhouse LA
    Thursday, May 22, 2025, By Keith Kobland
  • Syracuse University 2025-26 Budget to Include Significant Expansion of Student Financial Aid
    Wednesday, May 21, 2025, By News Staff
  • Engaged Humanities Network Community Showcase Spotlights Collaborative Work
    Wednesday, May 21, 2025, By Dan Bernardi
  • Students Engaged in Research and Assessment
    Tuesday, May 20, 2025, By News Staff

More In Uncategorized

Syracuse Views Summer 2025

We want to know how you experience Syracuse University. Take a photo and share it with us. We select photos from a variety of sources. Submit photos of your University experience by sending them directly to Syracuse University News at…

Syracuse Views Spring 2025

We want to know how you experience Syracuse University. Take a photo and share it with us. We select photos from a variety of sources. Submit photos of your University experience by sending them directly to Syracuse University News at…

Syracuse Views Fall 2024

We want to know how you experience Syracuse University. Take a photo and share it with us. We select photos from a variety of sources. Submit photos of your University experience by sending them directly to Syracuse University News at…

Syracuse Views Summer 2024

We want to know how you experience Syracuse University. Take a photo and share it with us. We select photos from a variety of sources. Submit photos of your University experience by filling out a submission form or sending it directly…

Syracuse Views Spring 2024

We want to know how you experience Syracuse University. Take a photo and share it with us. We select photos from a variety of sources. Submit photos of your University experience by filling out a submission form or sending it…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.