Pride Profile: Matthew McGovern

Pride Profiles are stories that revisit and introduce some of Scouting’s LGBTQ+ leaders and activists. This story was part of a collection of profiles destined for a national Scouting conference that was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. So I wanted to share it here, and give you all a chance to learn about Matthew McGovern’s experience in Scouting.

When I first started to get to know Matthew McGovern three years ago, my network of LGBTQ+ Scouting friends was few and far between. I was close with only a handful of people who were out like me, and often found myself guessing and assuming who else was part of our chosen family.

So when Matthew volunteered to join an LGBTQ+ research project I was working on, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I didn’t know much about Matthew, and figured he was just an enthusiastic ally. I was delighted to learn later that he was, in fact, a member of our community.

In the years since, it’s been wonderful to count Matthew among my expanding circle of LGBTQ+ Scouting friends. I asked him to reflect on a few questions about his Scouting experience. His answers are below.

What future do you want to see for LGBTQ+ people in Scouting?

I want the same future for LGBTQ+ people in Scouting that I want for all of its members: for Scouting to be a safe, welcoming, and affirming community where young people (regardless of sexual or gender orientation, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, etc.) are celebrated and seen as equals, not just by their peers, but also by adult leaders and advisers who guide the formative and experiential learning that Scouting provides.

Why is Scouting worth it?

There are few programs that can build up a young person’s confidence and ability to analyze, problem solve, and lead in the way that Scouting does: in a variety of scenarios and locales, both as part of a team and on your own. These opportunities can take many forms. Keeping a fire burning during a rainy night of quiet self-reflection, defining an abstract idea such as what it means to be “morally straight” in a Scoutmaster’s conference, or leading your patrol to victory in the camp-wide games; whatever the scenario, learning to overcome the obstacles in front of you using creativity, grit, and logic is a boost that most people, let alone most teenagers, can truly use in their lives.

And perhaps more importantly, the mentors and friends who’ve put their hands on my shoulder or looked me in the eye when I doubted my own ability or drive and told me that I was capable of doing great things have had a larger impact on my life than most people; without Scouting, I am unsure whom I would be.

What else should I know about your Scouting story?

I was twenty-four years old when the BSA finally allowed gay people like me to participate in the program that they love and hold dear without the persistent worry that their membership may someday be taken away from them simply because of who they are, and whom they love. Growing up gay in Scouting during this time was tremendously difficult; my love of the program was a major factor in keeping my true self hidden for so long, something that was majorly influential on my personal development. However, Scouting was also a place where I found a truly accepting and welcoming community: a family of other LGBTQ+ Scouts, Scouters, and allies, of whom I am proud to be a part. My time in Scouting has indelibly influenced the person I am today, and there is only one thing I would change about it: I would have run for lodge chief!