Say goodbye to the paywall
I'm changing my subscription strategy to give you more access to my best work.
Hello, dear readers.
I’m coming to you today with an exciting update about how I do things here at Morally Straight.
For the past year and a half, I’ve maintained a paid subscription tier of this newsletter that included access to monthly bonus content, initially in the form of in-depth articles and guest essays, and now as a podcast. This setup served me really well for a while, attracting a bunch of (generous, lovely, incredible) paid subscribers, and pushing me to do some of my most ambitious work.
But one thing always bothered me about it: I often felt like I was putting some of my best content behind a paywall, allowing on a select few to read it. And I had a creeping suspicion that the main motivator of my paid subscribers was not to gain access to the bonus articles, but simply to support my work in general.
So as of today, I’m no longer putting any of my articles or podcast episodes behind a paywall. That means anyone will be able to read or listen to anything I produce. My publication schedule won’t change much—you’ll still hear from me every Friday morning—but what used to be a fifth subscriber-only post each month will now be folded into the Friday rotation.
But wait! You can (and should) still become a paid subscriber. The only difference is, it won’t get you any additional content; just the warm and fuzzy feeling knowing that you make it possible for me to keep this entire newsletter afloat (and now, free for everyone to read).
If you’re a paid subscriber already: thank you from the bottom of my heart. And if you aren’t yet, you can become one by clicking the button below, for just $8/month or $90/year.
This also means that I’m opening up the vault of formerly-paywalled content for anyone and everyone to access! Below are some of my favorite posts from the past 18 months that you might have missed:
A conversation with Garfield Murden, national director of Scouts BSA / "Don't give up on us. Remember why it is that you joined the program. Help out in any way that you feel possible. There are many youth that need the support."
How a Boy Scout council in Texas is making progress on LGBTQ+ inclusion / Despite the area’s conservative political reputation, Chris Hoffman has led an unassuming, yet highly effective set of LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts.
To grow Scouting, this BSA territory is doubling down on diversity, equity and inclusion / At a conference held in January, National Service Territory 12 put DEI discussions at the center of membership growth.
Episode 1: Steven Cozza / In this episode of my podcast, I talked to Steven Cozza, who as a teenager in the 1990s founded Scouting for All, one of the first campaigns for gay inclusion in the BSA. (In Episode 2, I spoke with Mike Jones, who was one of the key campaign strategists behind the final push for gay inclusion in the BSA.)
Winning inclusion in America's most important institutions / Sasha Issenberg, author of a book on same-sex marriage, talked to me about how gay activists convinced a majority of Americans to let them into the most important institutions of American life.
Guest Essay: What’s Past Can Be Prologue / How can Scouting making amends for the harm it has caused to marginalized communities? Sam Aronson argues that it starts with being honest about that harm, but also includes celebrating our heroes.
A difference in DNA / The Boy Scouts of America is fundamentally different than the Girl Scouts of the USA — and not because of gender. Chartering organizations have shaped the BSA in a way that has lasting impacts.
A behind-the-scenes book update / Writing, it turns out, has not been the most challenging part of writing a book.
