Cub scouts in an open, accepting environment

OkEq sponsors pack, assigns leader

by Sharon Baldwin
Special to The Gayly

Oklahomans for Equality (OkEq) knows that big news stories of national scope have very personal ramifications for people here in the Sooner State. What did OkEq do in September 2011 when the military's ban on openly gay or lesbian service members fell? The organization invited military recruiters to Tulsa's Dennis R. Neill Equality Center on the first day the ban was lifted.

The move got OkEq on the front page of The New York Times and splashed all across the national media, but more importantly, it let Oklahomans know that when there's a victory in the broader LGBTQ community, they can participate fully, right here at home. So it seemed only natural, when the Boy Scouts of America dropped its longstanding ban on gay Scout leaders recently, that OkEq would respond in similar fashion.

It did. The result is likely the first Cub Scout pack ever to be sponsored by an LGBT community center.

OkEq's board of directors announced July 27 that they had approved the formation of the Cub Scout pack at the Equality Center, and OkEq Executive Director Toby Jenkins named Andrew Grimes as the cubmaster.

Grimes and a group of parents held an organizational meeting Aug. 16, and the pack's first den meetings are scheduled for 4pm Sunday, Sept. 13, at the Equality Center. The pack also is planning a recruiting event for the boys and their families in the schools that are near the Equality Center in mid-October.

Grimes said a few more den leaders are still needed but that he has seen a lot of support from former Scouts stepping up to fill the necessary roles.

Hardly new to Scouting, Grimes spent years as a Cub Scout and Boy Scout, ultimately earning the rank of Eagle Scout. He also was active in the Order of the Arrow, Scouting's national honor society. As a young adult, he was employed by the Boy Scouts of America as a district executive serving the Stillwater area. Part of his responsibilities included recruiting adults and youths to start new Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops in collaboration with other community organizations.

Grimes, a monitoring analyst at Phillips 66 who lives in Owasso, and his fiancé, Keith McClain, have four children, ages 3 to 8. The couple's dedication to their children is at the heart of why Grimes is stepping up to be the leader of the pack at OkEq.

“Starting a Cub Scout pack at Oklahomans for Equality is important to me because I want my children to experience Scouting in an open, accepting environment with all types of families,” he said. “Additionally, starting a Cub Scout pack at OkEq will provide the opportunity for a lot of families that had been marginalized for a long time to experience Scouting.”

For more information on getting a child involved with the pack or on volunteering, call Oklahomans for Equality at (918) 743-4297.

The Gayly – September 3, 2015 @ 8:30am.