Pride Profile: Bobby Kunstman

"Don't change a thing about the path you have chosen. ... There will be more highs than there are lows."

After Hurricane Andrew decimated Bobby Kunstman’s hometown of Miami, Florida, in 1992, Scouting became his refuge.

He quickly gravitated to the Order of the Arrow, which then led him to years as a foreman at the BSA’s high adventure bases. But for most of his adulthood as a gay man, he’s been on a break from Scouting.

He jumped back in recently as part of the Admonition Team, helping to shape the diversity, equity and inclusion trainings at the 2022 National Order of the Arrow Conference.

I talked to Kunstman about these experiences. Our conversation is below, edited for clarity and brevity.

Bobby Kunstman

What would you tell your younger Scouting self?

Don't change a thing about the path you have chosen. If I'm giving advice to my younger self, I would say probably something to the extent that there will be more highs than there are lows, and spend your time and energy in those positive moments, because the lows have also made you a stronger person. And those lows are what fuel your work today.

What future do you want to see for the LGBTQ+ community in Scouting?

My hope is that every person can truly—especially those living with marginalized and minoritized identities in general—but thinking about LGBTQ+ youth, that they have the opportunity to show up as their true authentic selves, and build a community within the organization that lifts them up to become their best selves, rather than just pushes them down.

Why is Scouting worth it for you?

I took a break from Scouting for a while. I was involved in the 90s and 2000s. I always get involved when someone asks, because they need help with something or support with an initiative that they're leading. So the reason I've continuously gotten involved is because of the connections that I've made. And those folks that are often asking me, I consider chosen family. And so to come back full circle, when that ask does come, I'm more than willing to serve.

The reason I'm now back involved, in the way that I am involved, is because the ask came and folks had shared that Scouting and the Order of the Arrow are ready to take next steps in terms of really meaningfully engaging in equity work. And that's my passion area. And that's what I do [professionally] in higher education. And so to be able to come back full circle into this space and engage in my professional passions, also in a personal space is really exciting to me. 

Is there anything else I should know about your Scouting story?

I'm originally from Miami, Florida. I was in Miami during Hurricane Andrew, which decimated my district, decimated my troop. And so, where I found a home in the program was in the Order of the Arrow, and it gave me an opportunity to escape for a weekend and get out of hurricane recovery, to be in a space just being with friends and doing service. And so I think the OA has really been my home in Scouting, which I'm very thankful for.

I went the lodge officer route, but that opened the door to high adventure in a way that I never thought. So actually my main experiences outside of the lodge level are in high adventure. I was an OA Trail Crew foreman for a year, I was a Wilderness Voyage foreman during the first voyage year, and then I was the director for Wilderness Voyage for two years. And then I returned to Philmont. And so I have a definite affinity toward the my high adventure experiences. But that's also like the first time I left South Florida, was for those high adventure experiences. So I think one of the cool parts of it is, Scouting gave me an opportunity to live in other states. I never thought I would hike mountains. I never thought I would spend weeks at a time canoeing in the in the boundary waters. And so being able to do some of those things, and just continuously reflect and talk fondly about those experiences, I think it's unique for my story. 

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