LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Lesbians are to Scouting as Sunshine is to Summer... An Interview with Nancy Manahan |
by Andrea L.T. Peterson |
Suffice it to say, "without lesbians" there would probably still be a Girl Scouts of America, but without lesbians, "GSA probably would not be the vibrant organization it is today, nor would it be inspiring so many girls and women to high ideals of character and community," says author Nancy Manahan. Manahan, whose first book Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence (co-authored with Rosemary Keefe Curb), sent shockwaves through the lesbian and the religious communities, is again broaching a subject universally understood to be taboo: lesbians in scoutingyoung lesbian scouts, lesbian volunteers, and lesbians in administrative positions within local councils and the national organization.
But, Manahan clarifies, she is not so much attracted to taboo subjects as she is to subjects in which she has "a personal stake." A self-described "bridge builder" who "likes to bring people together to make a difference and improve a situation," Manahan wants to make it clear that she has "no interest in controversial topics, per se." She is a lesbian who just happens to have been "both a nun and a girl scout," so both anthologiesLesbian Nuns and her new book, On My Honor: Lesbians Reflect on Their Scouting Experience"are intensely personal." Lesbian Nuns was a book Manahan had to do for her own healing. On My Honor, on the other hand, she took on "primarily because it was a part of our lesbian history and culture crying out for documentation. I was astonished that it hadnt been done," she says. "I had no pain connected with Girl Scouting, no healing to be done. Doing this book," she says, "was fun." Manahans scouting experience was "empowering." Through it she came face to face with "a whole world of nature, nontraditional skills, and a global vision that had been denied [to her] because of stereotyping and social conditioning." There she found "wonderful role models," and the opportunity to be "in nature." That, she says, "was very important. I never would have camped, built fires, learned to identify trees." Through the introduction to and immersion in nature, Manahan came to feel not only at home in, but ecstatic in nature. She cant emphasize enough how important that is, especially "for people like me who live in urban areas. Any organization that can encourage a respectful, peaceful, at-homeness with nature contributes," she says, "not only to rejuvenating and healing [of individuals], but to the improvement and healing of the world." The overall impression left by Manahans own telling and the stories of most contributors to the book is that scouting is just plain fun. In scouting girls are able to have fun with other girls. Scouting, she elaborates, "teaches cooperation [with other girls] which is "invaluable," she says, "considering females are taught to compete with each other for men and male attention. Petty competitiveness based on sexism can disappear in an all-female environment like Girl Scout camp." "Independence," she agrees, is "a wonderful strength, [that many scouts take away from their scouting experiences]," but rather than being a strength taught through scouting, she maintains "independence is modeled, embodied in" scouting. The lessons learned in scouting are so profound, says Manahan, that they are reflected in the adult lives of many former scouts: in "career choices, commitment to service, and," she adds, "in their numbers in leadership positions." Of course, not all lesbians in scouting have had stellar experiences. There are those who have been disappointed, disillusioned, and denied by scouting [see section III of On My Honor]. But, says Manahan of her own experience: "I never had a negative experience in scouting, so I dont share the feelings of disillusionment [with those whose stories comprise section III]." And since she was "never out" when she was a scouteven to herselfshe really had no chance to assess how accepting scouting as an organization was. For some, no doubt, contributing to On My Honor was a healing experience. Manahan hopes that the book can be a catalyst for healing, a catalyst for change within the world of scouting. But for Manahan, On My Honor began an opportunity for "lesbian girl scouts to tell their stories in print for the first time." But as she got into the project and heard "stories of homophobia, and became informed about the Girl Scout policy and practice on sexual orientation, another motive emerged: to help this wonderful, progressive, idealistic, dedicated and influential organizationthe largest organization of girls and women in the world!take its role in the most important civil rights struggle of our time: gay, lesbian, bisexual equality." Manahan believes that if "everyone who is at all connected with girl scouting (some 50 million Americans have been Girl Scouts) encourage the organization to live up to its laws and promises regarding diversity (including sexual orientation), it could make a tremendous difference in the lives of girls and women worldwide." She realizes that may sound "trite," but it is incredible to think what could happen if such "a huge organization took a leadership role and adopted a no-tolerance-for-discrimination stance." What a catalyst for activism....with profound ripple effects." While the impact might not be visible at a national level for some time, On My Honor: Lesbians Reflect on Their Scouting Experiences has already produced its own ripple effects. On My Honor is being distributed within and discussed among scouting councils. A number of councils have sought, with some success, to include sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination policies, and one council has decided to "sponsor a resolution at the organizations next national meeting." Positive organization responses to her book have to be heartening, but equally gratifying are the personal responses to On My Honorfrom friends and family, from others (lesbian and straight) who have been scouts or who are involved in scouting, and from those who have never been scouts and who have never had a lesbian experience. "My nephews wife, Kate Manahan, a librarian in Maine," offers Manahan by way of example, "read the book and wrote me a four page letter telling me exactly what she liked about the book... section by section." She liked "the continuity Lynne Tufts artwork established" in the book, and she "appreciated the recurrent image of women splitting wood," which reinforces the notion that women DO have "the right to wield an ax and the power." Kate was able to see, through the innocence "with which Maike Haaland and Roberta Garr entered into a relationship" how easily two women could fall in love. "Youre human first," she realized, and lesbian second (or tenth)." As a heterosexual who has never been a scout and has no connection with the organization except through her aunt, the author of this book, she is confident that "people who are not lesbians or scouts would like the book." "I was so touched that she [not a lesbian, never a girl scout] took the time to write a letter like that." At the school where (Nancy) Manahan currently teaches, a number of people told her they were "enjoying" the book. While that pleased her, nothing moved her quite like the efforts of her nephews wife. Initially Manahan didnt feel that there was anything she would have liked to include in On My Honor, but overlooked. On second thought, she remembered one of the young people on line (indgoGS is the on line site for discussing lesbians in girl scouting) who "told a wonderful story about the impact of Girl Scouting in her life." Manahan realized that there is an untapped resource in the stories of young people as well as in those of lesbians in their sixties, seventies, and eighties who have yet to share their scouting experiences. Through her continued efforts to "bring people together to make a difference and improve a situation," Manahan hopes that "girl scouting will be more committed to creating an atmosphere of safety and respect for all lesbian young people and adults. On My Honor: Lesbians Reflect on Their Scouting Experiences is, unquestionably, a giant first step in the right direction. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 8, No. 3, April 10, 1998. |