BOY SCOUTS GAY POLICY
The Boy Scouts of America needs more time to consider its policy of excluding gay scouts or scoutmasters.
IRVING, Texas — Faced with intense pressure from two flanks, the Boy Scouts of America said Wednesday it needed more time for consultations before deciding whether to move away from its policy of excluding gays as scouts or adult leaders.
Possible changes in the policy — such as a proposal to allow sponsors of local troops to decide for themselves on gay membership — will not be voted on until the organization’s annual meeting in May, the national executive board said at the conclusion of closed-door deliberations.
As the board met over three days in Irving, it became clear that the proposed change would be unacceptable to large numbers of Scouting families and advocacy groups on the left and right. Gayrights supporters said no scout units should be allowed to exclude gays, while some conservatives, including religious leaders whose churches sponsor troops, warned of mass defections if the ban were eased.
Deron Smith, the BSA’s national spokesman, said the executive board “concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy.” The board will prepare a resolution to be voted on by the 1,400 voting members of the national council at a meeting in Grapevine, Texas, he said.
The BSA announced last week it was considering allowing scout troops to decide whether to allow gay membership. That news placed a spotlight on the executive board meeting that began Monday in Irving, where the BSA headquarters is located.
Early reaction to the delay from gay-rights supporters was harshly critical of the BSA.
“A Scout is supposed to be brave, and the Boy Scouts failed to be brave today,” said Jennifer Tyrrell of Ohio, who was ousted as a Cub Scout volunteer because she’s a lesbian. “The Boy Scouts had the chance to help countless young people and devoted parents, but they’ve failed us yet again.
Meanwhile, hundreds of conservative supporters of the ban held a rally and prayer vigil at the BSA headquarters, carrying signs that read, “Don’t invite sin into the camp” and “Homosexuality is a sin! BSA please resist Satan’s test. Uphold the ban.”