The storied beginnings of the historic Boys Town is recalled by generations of Catholics who watched Spencer Tracy portray Fr. Flanagan as he mentored a young Mickey Rooney in the 1938 film named after the orphanage. Despite the institution’s noble beginnings, the sad reality is that Boys Town has been marred by allegations of sexual abuse over the last 40 years, and now is engaging in the promotion of sexual perversion. Considering the abuse allegations, it’s hard to see how the promotion of sexual perversion doesn’t constitute a form of grooming.
Boys Town was founded in 1917 by Fr. Edward Joseph Flanagan in Omaha, NE, and indicates on its website that it has “grown from a tiny boarding home in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, to a leading national nonprofit offering exceptional care for behavioral, emotional and physical health of children, families and patients.” But as recently as last year, Boys Town continues to find itself at the end of an accusing finger for charges of sexual abuse.
In November of 2023, the Des Moines Register reported about two recent allegations of sexual abuse perpetrated by an employee of Boys Town. Two young women filed lawsuits against a house father and Boys Town for abuse. One of the lawsuits has already been settled out of court for an undisclosed amount, and the other is set to go to trial this year. According to the Register, there have been twelve rape cases reported to have occurred on campus since 2018.
In October of 2005, a 34-year-old man sued Boys Town alleging sexual abuse at the hands of Fr. Richard Colbert. This lawsuit is the fifth of its kind from a former student within two years. The other four lawsuit allegations, filed two years prior, were made against employees Michael Wolf and Fr. James Kelly, who are alleged to have sexually abused the boys in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The details of the allegations are highly disturbing, and Boys Town’s handling of the accusations is controversial. Boys Town executives claim to have followed proper procedures in dealing with charges of abuse, whereas victims say that their complaints went unheeded. The sexual abuse allegations and subsequent settlements strongly indicate a high degree of culpability on the part of the institution, but what is not in any dispute is Boys Town’s current and unreserved promotion of sexual perversion.
Boys Town indicates that it is committed to “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” saying:
Diversity has been a foundational part of Who and What Boys Town is since Father Flanagan began providing care for children in need, regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity. Flanagan not only advocated for diversity and human rights, he also made them an inspirational part of our history and tradition.
Boys Town remains committed to fostering an environment of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
The sort of diversity currently being promoted by Boys Town is something that Fr. Flanagan would never have tolerated. On the same page, the Boys Town website indicates the use of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which it states are critical to “our organization’s diversity and inclusion strategy.” ERGs are then defined as “voluntary, employee-led groups whose aim is to foster a diverse inclusive workplace aligned with the organizations they serve.” While this may sound innocuous, one of the ERGs identified in this section is called “Prism (LGBTQ+),” of which Boys Town says the following:
“Prism brings together LGBTQ+ employees and allies, in a safe place where employees can bring their whole self. This group provides resources such as LGBTQ+ friendly healthcare, mental health and other services. Prism also assists in thinking about how to make the organization more inclusive for patients, youth, families, and employees, while providing professional development opportunities and giving back to the community.”
This resource, directed at employees of Boys Town, introduces the employment of sexual perverts to an environment of vulnerable children. For an institution that has been rocked by sexual abuse allegations, one would think that it would take greater caution in preventing the possible introduction of sexual predators and perverts to the equation. And yet, Boys Town makes it very clear that it is proud to include sexually perverted employees in the work of mentoring children. And to prove that PRISM is directly engaged in the sexual grooming of young children, on August 3, 2021, Boys Town posted a photo of employees and young children all decked out in LGBT pride rainbows and messages, saying:
“Some great shots of members from the Boys Town PRISM Employee Resource Group in our Boys Town Nebraska and Boys Town South Florida sites represented in #PrideMonth celebrations in their communities!”
The link at the end of this Facebook post, where it says “Read more” leads to an article posted on Boys Town South Florida’s website titled, “Pride & Shine at Boys Town South Florida.” The article indicates that Boys Town was represented at the Palm Beach Pride Market, “sporting their Teach Love (Pride edition) shirts.” At the end of the article, Boys Town announced that its Care Coordination Services and Primary Project departments “can’t wait to attend next year and continue engaging with the Palm Beach County LGBTQIA+ community!”
Another facebook post from Boys Town from August 3, 2021 indicates how “proud” it is to be participating in LGBT events.
On June 5, 2022, Boys Town posted on Facebook the bizarre claim that Fr. Flanagan would have been supportive of the celebration of sexual perversion, saying:
“From the very beginning, Father Flanagan was a pioneer in diversity, equity and inclusion. He welcomed and included kids and employees of every race, nationality and religion to join him in building Boys Town into a place where all would be treated with dignity and respect no matter their background or circumstances. We continue that value today with the creation of our Employee Resource Groups, including PRISM, to celebrate alongside our LGBTQ+ communities.”
A few days later, on June 16, Boys Town posted another LGBT-themed photo on Facebook showing employees at some sort of Pride event. The post strongly advocates for homosexual and transgender identities saying:
“We continue to work to #TeachLove and be a centered place of diversity, equity, and inclusion for all. #PrideMonth #UnitedWeStand #LoveIsLove #EqualityForAll”
On June 28, 2022, Boys Town posted yet another LGBT-affirming message, this time directed at parents. In this message, Boys Town said that parents have a “duty” to ensure that they raise their children to “celebrate diversity and accept … sexual orientations.” The post said:
“It is our duty as parents to raise our children to celebrate diversity and accept people of all races, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and backgrounds. Boys Town is proud to support the LGBTQ+ community and provide resources for parents to use in raising compassionate and inclusive kids. Check out our collection of content to learn ways to raise children who celebrate #diversity: https://bit.ly/DiversityInclusionGuideBT
Read more on how Boys Town teaches love: https://bit.ly/BoysTown-TeachLove
#TeachLove #PrideMonth #LoveIsLove #EqualityForAll #UnitedWeStand”
Conclusion
While Boys Town was established as a solid, Catholic institution for wayward boys, it has since lost the charism of its founder, Fr. Flanagan, who would not have tolerated in any way, shape, or form the promotion of sexual perversion the way the institution is doing now. And given the history of sexual abuse allegations, the promotion of sexual perversion just opens the way for grooming and LGBT indoctrination. For these reasons, we cannot suggest Boys Town as a “Safe” charity.
…..This is similar to what happened with Covenant House in New York City. Rev. Paul Ritter was the founder & then involved with a number of the troubled youth. It is now the policy of Covenant House to label troubled youth as inherently gay & a new sexual identity.
…..In actuality, the troubled youth who so identify act because they are troubled & are taken advantage of. When you take troubled youth engaging in homosexual activity out of that environment, they change dramatically to a normal style of behavior.
…..Actually, you can see in this article with pictures that you have troubled women who are taking advantage of the situation to tear down the masculine lifestyle. The priesthood has been totally infiltrated. It is all about the creation of one sexual identity which is both male & female.