What Alison Batey accomplished for LGBTQ+ inclusion
Here’s the recap of my podcast interview with the former Scouting professional.
During her brief, unexpected career stint in the Boy Scouts of America, Alison Batey quietly made some major contributions to LGBTQ+ inclusion in the organization.
Why it matters: Batey never worked at the national office in Dallas, but in her council role in Boston, she formed a thriving affinity group for LGBTQ+ scouters across the country.
She also helped developed national training materials, including the Citizenship in Society merit badge.
Go deeper: In my podcast conversation with Batey, we talked about her many LGBTQ+ inclusion projects, the barriers she faced bringing some of them to life, and the impact she hopes to continue having as a Scouting volunteer.
Batey grew up as a girl scout, steeped in the world of camping and outdoor activities. In 2017, while working as a teacher and leading a class trip to the New England Base Camp, she was recruited to be its summer camp director—beginning her career as a professional scouter.
She started the LGBTQ+ Scouts and Allies group on Facebook alongside two others—one for women, one for scouts with disabilities—but the LGBTQ+ group took off quickly, becoming the largest and most active.
The success of the group opened a lot of doors for Batey. She went on to help camp directors all over the country support scouts with disabilities, and contributed to a national inclusion toolkit.
Batey has now left her professional Scouting role and returned to her roots as a teacher, where she can focus on her passion of working directly with kids. But she plans to stay involved as a BSA volunteer.
If you haven’t yet, you can listen to my full conversation with Batey at the link below.
Programming note: There will be no newsletter next week, due to the Thanksgiving holiday.