Who
is that naked man stalking the Boy Scout?
Is he the gay Scoutmaster, or dear
old Dad?
You can read many meanings into this sculpture group:
- An unsettling blend of neoclassical and literal styles
- A study of painfully repressed sexuality
- Subtle artistic commentary on the naiveté of youth
- A strange way to prepare for military service
- A subversive public suggestion of incest and homoeroticism
This final interpretation offers qualities that the Boy Scouts of America hoped to disown when the organization expelled a gay assistant scoutmaster—who was also a decorated Eagle Scout—in 1990.
According to words chiseled near the monument, the naked man and wanton woman represent American Manhood and Womanhood, guiding youth and setting examples for behavior.
But juxtapose their semi-nude bodies with the Scout in full dress uniform, and you have a puzzling mixed message.
