Scouting for All

Scouting for All was an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization focused on changing the Boy Scouts of America's policies concerning sexual orientation, religious belief, and inclusion. Its stated purpose was to promote tolerance and diversity within the BSA, particularly in response to rules that historically excluded openly gay members and people who did not affirm belief in God. The organization operated as an advocacy effort rather than as a scouting program, commercial brand, or official BSA affiliate. The group was initially established in 1993 by Scouter Dave Rice and a committee that included Mike Cahn, Bob Smith, Ken McPherson, and Don Henry. It was comparatively inactive during its first several years. In 1997, the campaign gained renewed visibility after Steven Cozza, a heterosexual Scout, wrote a letter to the editor criticizing the BSA's policies. Cozza argued that the restrictions conflicted with the values expressed in the Scout Oath and Scout Law and invited other Scouts who agreed with him to participate in efforts to change the policies. Organizational materials subsequently described Rice, Steven Cozza, and Steven's father, Scott Cozza, as co-founders. Scouting for All used public advocacy, direct protest, educational messaging, and symbolic forms of solidarity to challenge exclusion within Scouting. One associated symbol was the Inclusive Scouting Award, commonly called the Rainbow Knot. It was designed to resemble a Boy Scouts of America square-knot insignia but was not an official BSA award or authorized uniform emblem. The symbol was intended to communicate support for LGBTQ+ inclusion and, later, to identify wearers as LGBTQ+ people or allies and as safe contacts within Scouting communities. After Rice stepped down in the mid-2000s, leadership passed among several individuals before Howard Menzer assumed the role. The organization appears to have become largely inactive around 2009. Available descriptions characterize it as having only a small membership and limited activity thereafter. Its campaign was eventually overshadowed by newer organizations, particularly Scouts for Equality, which was founded in 2012 and emphasized petitions, lobbying, and pressure on BSA corporate partners rather than the direct-protest approach associated with Scouting for All. The BSA ended its ban on gay youth in 2013 and its ban on openly gay adult leaders in 2015. Those policy changes reduced the original purpose of Scouting for All's campaign. The organization is therefore best understood as a defunct or dormant civil-rights advocacy group whose historical significance lies in the broader movement for LGBTQ+ inclusion in American Scouting, rather than as an active contemporary operating organization.

Scouting for All emerged in the United States in 1993 as an effort to promote tolerance and diversity within the Boy Scouts of America. The initial organization was founded by Scouter Dave Rice with a committee that included Mike Cahn, Bob Smith, Ken McPherson, and Don Henry. During its first few years, however, the group was relatively inactive and had limited public influence. The organization gained momentum in 1997 after Steven Cozza, a young heterosexual Scout, published a letter to the editor objecting to the BSA's policies concerning homosexuality and religious belief. Cozza contended that those policies were inconsistent with the ideals expressed in the Scout Oath and Scout Law. He also invited like-minded Scouts and supporters to contact him and work toward reform. Scouting for All's own literature later identified Rice, Steven Cozza, and Scott Cozza as its co-founders, reflecting the importance of the Cozza family's role in reviving the campaign. Scouting for All pursued change through public criticism, direct protests, educational advocacy, and visible symbols of support. Its work was directed primarily at the BSA's restrictions on openly gay participation and its requirement that members affirm belief in God. The organization was not part of the BSA and did not administer official scouting awards. It instead functioned as an outside civil-rights campaign seeking to align Scouting with broader principles of equality and nondiscrimination. An important associated emblem was the Inclusive Scouting Award, also known as the Rainbow Knot. The design imitated the appearance of a BSA square-knot insignia, incorporating rainbow colors and other visual references to scouting awards. It was intended as a solidarity symbol rather than as a credential earned through a formal program. The emblem was originally introduced in 2002 by the Inclusive Scouting Network, formerly known as the Coalitions for Inclusive Scouting, and was later distributed by organizations including ScoutPride and Scouting for All. It was not authorized by the BSA for wear on the official uniform, which generated debate among supporters and opponents. After Dave Rice left leadership in the mid-2000s, the organization went through several leadership changes before Howard Menzer became its leader. By approximately 2009, Scouting for All appeared to be largely dormant. Descriptions of the group during this period portray it as having a small remaining membership and little organized activity. Its website later became unavailable, and the last known site material reportedly referenced a 2009 news article, suggesting that the organization did not remain an active national campaign. The movement for inclusion continued through newer organizations. Scouts for Equality, established in 2012 by a group that included straight Eagle Scouts, adopted a strategy centered on petitions, lobbying, and engagement with BSA corporate partners. This approach differed from Scouting for All's emphasis on direct protest. The BSA voted in 2013 to permit gay youth and in 2015 to permit openly gay adult leaders. These decisions substantially changed the policy issues that had defined Scouting for All's work. Because the organization became dormant and the BSA later revised the policies it opposed, Scouting for All is generally treated as a defunct advocacy organization rather than an active nonprofit brand. Its historical role was as one of the early organized campaigns inside the American scouting-policy debate advocating inclusion for LGBTQ+ people and greater tolerance of differing religious beliefs.

• 2015

  BSA permits openly gay adult leaders

  [1]Scouting for Allen.wikipedia.org

  The BSA ended its ban on openly gay adult leaders, further reducing the policy basis for Scouting for All's original campaign.

• 2013

  BSA permits gay youth

  [1]Scouting for Allen.wikipedia.org

  The Boy Scouts of America ended its exclusion of gay youth, resolving a central issue in the organization's advocacy agenda.

• 2009

  Organization appears largely dormant

  [1]Scouting for Allen.wikipedia.org

  Available website and activity references indicate that Scouting for All had largely ceased active national campaigning by around this time.

• 2002

  Inclusive Scouting Award introduced

  [1]Scouting for Allen.wikipedia.org

  The Rainbow Knot, initially introduced by the Inclusive Scouting Network, became an important solidarity symbol later distributed by Scouting for All and allied groups.

• 1997

  Campaign gains renewed momentum

  [1]Scouting for Allen.wikipedia.org

  Steven Cozza's public criticism of BSA membership policies helped reactivate and broaden the organization's campaign.

• 1993

  Organization founded

  [1]Scouting for Allen.wikipedia.org

  Dave Rice and an organizing committee established Scouting for All to advocate tolerance and diversity within the Boy Scouts of America.

A grassroots inclusion and civil-rights advocacy organization focused on reforming policies within the Boy Scouts of America.

• Advocacy insignia · 2002

  Inclusive Scouting Award / Rainbow Knot

  A square-knot-style emblem used to express support for LGBTQ+ inclusion in Scouting. It was not an official Boy Scouts of America award, had no BSA requirements, and was not authorized as a standard BSA uniform insignia. Its role was primarily symbolic: to signal solidarity, allyship, and support for a safer and more welcoming scouting environment.

• 2002Rainbow Knot solidarity initiative

  United States

  Scouting for All distributed or promoted the Inclusive Scouting Award as a visible sign of support for LGBTQ+ inclusion and welcoming conduct in Scouting.

  Outcome. The emblem became a recognizable activist symbol, though its unofficial status led to disagreement over whether it should be worn with a BSA uniform.

  Source
• 1997Inclusive Scouting advocacy campaign

  United States

  The organization publicized objections to BSA policies excluding openly gay members and requiring belief in God, arguing that the rules conflicted with the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

  Outcome. The campaign contributed to the wider public debate, although later inclusion reforms were associated more strongly with newer organizations and broader advocacy efforts.

  Source

• 2013

  Campaign focus shifts after BSA allows gay youthStrategy

  Background

  The Boy Scouts of America ended its ban on gay youth, removing a major target of Scouting for All's original advocacy.

  Action taken

  Scouting for All's role diminished as newer organizations continued pursuing inclusion, particularly through petitions, lobbying, and corporate-partner pressure.

  Aftermath

  The organization appears to have remained largely dormant, while the broader movement continued to address the status of gay adult leaders until the BSA changed that policy in 2015.

  • Scouts for Equality — Scouts for Equality pursued a more lobbying- and petition-oriented strategy and became a more prominent organization in the subsequent inclusion campaign.

  Source

1. 1Scouting for Allen.wikipedia.org