The power of a 'safe space' in Scouting

It was small get-together: Some 20 people in a classroom at the Philmont Scout Ranch gathered to discuss the next steps for inclusion of LGBTQ Scouters.

Laura Díaz-Piferrer Acevedo, who identifies openly as pansexual, had a very simple reason for attending: “Uno mas,” or “one more person there” to represent the queer community.

“I’m a very big supporter of the LGBT community, especially because I'm part of it,” said Díaz-Piferrer Acevedo, who serves as the chief of Yokahu Lodge in Puerto Rico.

She found herself at Philmont for the Order of the Arrow’s National Council of Chiefs, and after a litany of sessions about lodge programming, was very surprised to see there would be a meeting geared specifically toward the LGBTQ community.

The session was led by the Admonition Team, a new group within the OA that is dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism and mental health. In June, the team orchestrated Scouting’s first-ever Pride-themed social media post recognizing and affirming the organization’s LGBTQ members.

At the front of the classroom at Philmont, a white board was filled with a few open questions prompting the audience to give their suggestions on what the OA could be doing better to support them, and how local lodges could create more inclusive environments.

Díaz-Piferrer Acevedo was delighted to see how the group opened up, sharing experiences with each other and readily giving advice where they could. One conversation Díaz-Piferrer Acevedo had with a trans woman helped her understand how to better support a friend back home who is transitioning.

“It was very refreshing to be somewhere where I could openly and very loudly talk about my sexuality, because I am out of the closet. I don’t hide that I’m pansexual, but obviously in Scouting and the OA, I can’ be like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m hella gay,’” she said.

Especially as a woman in a leadership role, Díaz-Piferrer Acevedo often encounters resistance from older or more conservative Scouters back home.

But in this space, she didn’t have to worry about it. That alone was a big step forward for Díaz-Piferrer Acevedo. She feels that Scouting is on the right track for inclusion, and says much of the remaining work will be done on an individual and local level: Having hard conversations, calling out homophobia and building trust among members.

“[The OA is] really helping. We can’t expect the change to be made overnight, but we can help that change,” she said.

Díaz-Piferrer Acevedo hopes to see another space for LGBTQ Scouters at the National Order of the Arrow Conference in 2022 so that a wider audience has the ability to attend. (Such a space, known as ArrowPride, was planned for the 2020 conference that was cancelled due to the pandemic; it is planned again for the 2022 conference).

“Scouting and the OA is working really hard to be more inclusive,” Díaz-Piferrer Acevedo said.