Boy Scouts of America Announces Partial Change in Policy: Allowing Gay Scouts, But Not Leaders

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Video: Boy Scouts Formal Announcement

Scott K Parks &  Sarah Mervosh,
Dallas News
GRAPEVINE, TX — The Boy Scouts of America’s national council, adults attired in their distinctive khaki uniforms and colorful neckerchiefs, voted Thursday to lift a ban on openly gay Scouts.

The historic resolution passed with 61 percent of BSA’s more than 1,400 delegates voting in favor during proceedings at the Gaylord Texan hotel.

The new membership policy means the nation’s 282 local BSA councils — from liberal bastions such as San Francisco and New York City to conservative strongholds like Texas and Mississippi — will no longer purge Scouts from their ranks just because they come out as gay.

The resolution also reaffirmed that a Scout has duty to God and makes clear that any sexual conduct — heterosexual or homosexual — during Scouting activities will not be tolerated. And it keeps the prohibition against openly gay adults serving as volunteers or paid BSA staffers.

AP Photo/LM Otero
Online petition from Change.org was a featured element of the campaign to change the policy.
AP Photo/LM Otero

“The decision that delegates made today assures that we will be able to serve all kids,” said Pat Currie, Scout executive/CEO of BSA’s Circle Ten Council in Dallas.

But not everyone’s comments were as measured as Currie’s. “It is with great sadness and deep disappointment that we recognize on this day that the most influential youth program in America has turned a tragic corner,” said John Stemberger, an attorney in Orlando, Fla., who led traditionalist opposition to the resolution. “The vote today to allow open and avowed homosexuality into Scouting will completely transform it into an unprincipled and risky proposition for parents. It is truly a sad day for Scouting.”

The resolution’s supporters cheered after learning it had passed. They hugged one another. Some who had been holding their breath exhaled. And a few cried.

“My ears are ringing,” said Alex Derr, a 19-year-old Eagle Scout. “I’ve been waiting for four or five years for this to happen. Everyone here has.”

Jennifer Tyrrell, an openly gay mom, was removed as a Cub Scout den leader in Ohio when her sexuality became an issue. She called the resolution “a small step in the right direction” even though it won’t lead to her reinstatement as a den leader.

“I just can’t explain to people what it’s like to have to look at your child and have to tell them people think you’re not good enough. If I can save one person from having to do that, then I’m good,” she said.

“Today’s vote ending discrimination of gay Scouts is truly a historic moment and demonstrates the Boy Scouts of America’s commitment to creating a more inclusive organization,” said Zach Wahls, a heterosexual Eagle Scout who was raised by a lesbian couple and founded Scouts for Equality
Read more of this story at Dallas News

MORE COVERAGE:
• Boy Scouts now welcome gay youth (Chron.com)
• Perry Condemns Decision to Admit Openly Gay Scouts (Texas Tribune)
• The Boy Scouts vote for gay inclusion — up to a point (Washington Post)
• Boy Scouts End Longtime Ban on Openly Gay Youths (New York Times)

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