We Support Pride.

Guest Blog: Vic Leon-Cutler, Deputy Unit Manager, FLAGS Scout Active Support Unit

Scouting. A movement that is always moving forward, always making changes.

My Journey
Over 10 years ago, I sat in front of an Appointments Committee doing my very best to avoid letting slip any references to my sexuality because that’s what I’d been advised to do, “just in case”. I wasn’t sure what the “just in case” meant but either way I succeeded at presenting a version of myself, and became a Beaver Leader. After being a young leader it was a dream come true, however a month into my first adult appointment, my training advisor was giving me some advice about how to be a better leader and suggested I “refrained from making people aware of my homosexual tendencies”. Never have I felt as disheartened as I did in that moment. For a while, I honestly believed that I would never be able to be open about who I am when doing the thing I loved most. That was a terrifying thought. Would I always have to present inaccurate version of myself? I even thought that maybe Scouting wasn’t for me…

Luckily I had an incredibly supportive Scout Group and after much thought, I realised it was not me that needed to change, in fact I could be the one of the many who could change things. I was determined that no young person in my group would ever feel like they couldn’t be themselves. In our Group we made it clear that we would do our best to ensure every young person felt welcomed, felt like they belonged. These days I’m the Deputy Manager of the National LGBT+ Scout Active Support Unit called FLAGS and am the ACC Inclusion for East Sussex.

Why a Pride range?
Small steps like having a pride range will keep us moving in the right direction. I have no doubt that having a pride-based range of products will seem pointless to some and dare I say, outrageous to others, but this demonstration of visible support is more important than most will realise. It will undoubtedly make huge difference to those young people who are worried about how they will be perceived in Scouting. It will be a beacon of light to those who are scared of telling their Scouting friends and leaders about who they really are. Let’s make our LGBT+ young people and adults feel welcomed, let’s make sure they know they belong and that we will always support them. You’ll be surprised at the conversations a rainbow necker can start…

Why do we go to Pride?
I’m overjoyed to say that in the past 10 years Scouting has made huge progress supporting LGBT+ young people and adults. We’ve gone from not attending any Pride events; to being part of London Pride 10 years ago and now attending nearly 20 Pride events across the UK. Many people ask why we attend pride, the answer is simple, to promote inclusion, to show the world that we believe in inclusion. Pride is not just for those who are LGBT+, everyone can take pride in being inclusive and believing that everyone deserves equality.

Rainbow Cafés
A rainbow café is an LGBT+ safe space that provides advice and guidance, LGBT+ based activities, general information, tasty snacks and usually a lot of dancing. FLAGS launched their first Rainbow Café at Gilwell 24 in 2016 and since then the Rainbow Café has quickly become a regular fixture at UK events. In addition to this FLAGS members have supported the hugely successful Rainbow Cafés at both the Moot in Iceland in 2017 and Roverway in the Netherlands in 2018. This wouldn’t have happened a few years ago. We are making fantastic progress, but we need to keep going.

How to Help
There are so many great things going on across the movement you can get involved in. Getting yourself up-to-date with the latest policies and guidance is a great place to start. If you fancy joining a local pride then check out the FLAGS facebook page for the latest information. There are lots of resources available online if you want to organise an inclusion based evening. It’s not just LGBT+ inclusion that’s important, the Scout Association is also making great progress to youth shape the movement, remove stigmas around mental health and open new sections in some of the UK’s most deprived areas. There will always be areas in which we can improve, but together we can create a movement that future generations will love just as much as we do.