It looks like I may be the only person who reads this list who has been involved in this "mess".
On Thu, Mar 02, 2006 at 12:03:05AM +0100, MacGyverMagic/Mgm wrote:
I'm not sure that info should go anywhere. Surely it's a fringe theory?
No, it is not fringe. It is from the most modern researched biography of Baden-Powell. It does not state he was homosexual. It raises some serious issues about a man who started a major youth movement. These are important.
This was hived off to a sub article with the agreement of both sides who had been warring about what went into the main article. They then agreed on the content as part of the war was about how much to add to the main article without losing the balance there between different parts of his life
Note the nominator wants to get rid of it as a "smear" against Baden-Powell. It is'nt yet some Scouts see him so much as God that they can not bear to see any possible criticism. Actually I do not think the article is critical in any bad sense. It shows he was human, battled with a rather strange sexual orientation, yet won out and founded Scouting and had, late in life, three kids. It makes him more of a hero to me, not less.
Even if it is kept, some argument will continue, but it will in the end make a better article. If it is deleted it will just be back to war again on the main article. It is best kept. It is important.
However, I'm not an admin, so I do not have to sort it out.
Anyway, I really don't get why some people are so obsessed with the sexual orientation of celebrities and historical figures. What does it really matter?
Besides, some of those will never have any conclusive proof. You could argue Caesar was homosexual, but unless someone finds his diary tomorrow in which he revealed all his secrets, you're never going to know. It's pointless to debate someone's sexuality when it has absolutely no bearing on what they're famous for.
Also, the word "homosexual" means the person described as such feels attracted to people of the same sex (hence: it's a feeling). You can say he kissed X and looked lovingly at Y, but none of it proves anything because it says nothing about their feelings.
Bottom line. Even if Powell was gay, it doesn't make him a pedophile so why should it be at all important to Scouting?
Unless the celeb in question open admitted their sexual preference, speculation about the issue is totally pointless.
Mgm