Boy Scouts of America delays its decision on allowing gay members to May

in: http://gaystarnews.com/article/boy-scouts-america-delays-its-decision-allowing-gay-members-may060213

Board says it needs more time 'due to the complexity of this issue'

The national board of the Boys Scouts of America on Wednesday (6 February) delayed a decision of whether or not to end its controversial ban on gay members and leaders.

The BSA said in a statement that 'after careful consideration and extensive dialogue' within the organization along with outside comments, the board concluded 'that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy.'

The approximately 1,400 voting members of the National Council will revisit the issue at its annual meeting in May.

The board is considering a proposal that would allow openly gay people to participate in scouting. But the end of the national restriction regarding sexual orientation would not put an end to the ban on gays completely. Local chapters would still have the ability to not allow gay scouts or leaders.

'Scouting has received an outpouring of feedback from the American public,' the BSA stated. 'It reinforces how deeply people care about Scouting and how passionate they are about the organization.'

During an interview on the CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes on Sunday (3 February), President Barack Obama spoke out in favor of allowing gays into the Scouts.

In contrast, such religious conservatives as televangelist Pat Robertson, former US Senator Rick Santorum and Texas Governor Rick Perry has spoken out against dropping the ban predicting great doom for the organization if it allows gays to participate openly.

The delay is a major disappointment to activists who have been pushing for much of the past year for a change in the anti-gay policy.

'A scout is supposed to be brave, and the Boy Scouts failed to be brave today,' said Jennifer Tyrrell, who launched a Change.org petition last year after she was removed as a leader of her son's local troop because she is a lesbian.

'The Boy Scouts had the chance to help countless young people and devoted parents, but they've failed us yet again,' Tyrrell said in a statement released through the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. 'No parent should have to look their child in the eye and explain that the Boy Scouts don't want us.'

GLAAD President Herndon Graddick said: 'The Boy Scouts of America is choosing to ignore the cries of millions, including religious institutions, current scouting families, and corporate sponsors, but these cries will not be silenced. We're living in a culture where hurting young gay people because of who they are is unpopular and discriminatory.'

In addition to pressure from activists, the BSA has also lost the support of several corporate donors because of the anti-gay policy.

According to the BSA website, there are over 300 local councils in the US Scouts for Equality reports that 11 councils, serving over 260,000 Scouts, have already taken a stand against the organization's anti-gay policies.

 

 

http://gaystarnews.com/article/boy-scouts-america-delays-its-decision-allowing-gay-members-may060213