Allow me to re-introduce myself

There are few things that I love to see in my inbox more than an alert that someone new has signed up for my newsletter. And lately, there’s been a lot of those.

So I figured it would be helpful to the many new readers here if I re-introduced myself, and told you a bit about what I bring to this work—and why I do it.

Hello! It’s nice to meet you.

I’m Mike De Socio, the author of the Morally Straight newsletter.

I work as an independent journalist, telling stories primarily about cities, climate change and the LGBTQ+ community.

Like many of you, I’ve spent nearly my entire life in Scouting. I grew up in New Jersey, where I joined Cub Scouts and continued on into Boy Scouts, working my way through the ranks in a troop that met at the local elementary school. I earned my eagle scout rank in 2011, at the age of 16.

That year might ring a bell, as it was right around the time the BSA’s gay membership controversy came roaring back into the news. As you can imagine, it was an incredibly confusing experience for me: I was so deep in the closet I had not yet even admitted to myself that I was gay.

Instead of interrogating my own sexual orientation with any real rigor (just turn it off!), I poured my energy into reporting on the BSA’s membership battle as a student journalist. I cut my teeth writing articles for my high school newspaper, interviewing other boys in my troop and even the occasional scoutmaster (most were too reticent to talk).

By the time I got to college, though, I couldn’t ignore my feelings any longer. The summer after my freshman year, I broke up with my high school sweetheart (I know, I’m sorry) and arrived on campus in the fall ready to explore my identity. It wasn’t long before I claimed the label “queer,” and started coming out to family and friends.

But in Scouting, it was a different story. I was still deeply involved even in college, mostly as a national volunteer with the Order of the Arrow communications team. I was terrified that coming out to my Scouting peers—even after the policy changes—would ostracize me from a community I really loved.

That began to change in the summer of 2015, when a Scouting friend unexpectedly came out to me. It gave me the courage to do the same, and I was stunned to find out that every one of my Scouting friendships became stronger in the wake of my honesty.

I’ve taken that experience—of discovering my queerness during the same years that the BSA was debating whether that rendered me immoral—and channeled it into my current work with this newsletter.

Because the truth is, I’ve never been able to put down this story. Even as I graduated college and settled into my first newsroom job at a newspaper in upstate New York, I was always returning to this topic, in one way or another.

Now, with Morally Straight, it’s my goal to tell the stories of the LGBTQ+ folks fighting for a more inclusive future in the Boy Scouts of America. The newsletter gives scouters, parents, families and allies the inside story of how this organization continues to change—and how you can play a part in making it happen.

I’m also telling the decades-long history of this membership struggle in my book, also titled Morally Straight, which is currently available for pre-order.

When I’m not thinking or writing about Scouting (which, really, is very rare), I love to spend time outside, usually hiking or biking in the Adirondack Mountains and Hudson Valley. I’m also known to bake a mean loaf of sourdough, and will never turn down a scoop of ice cream.

It means the world to me that you’ve decided to come along for the ride, dear reader. I do this all for you, and it’s my sincere hope that reading these posts makes your day a bit better, or brighter, or more interesting.

If you’re new here, you might not know about my extensive archive of how-to content on all things diversity, equity and inclusion in Scouting. Here are some highlights:

• 10 ideas to make LGBTQ+ scouts feel more welcome
• How to march at Pride with your Scouting unit
• What to do when a scout comes out to you
• How BSA units are finding inclusive summer camps
• How councils can improve diversity, equity and inclusion
• Finding activities for LGBTQ+ inclusion
• How Wood Badge tickets can serve as a vehicle for LGBTQ+ inclusion

I’d love to learn more about you, too. Feel free to introduce yourself in the comments, or by replying to this email. I’m always interested in hearing from you (and appreciate news tips or story ideas).