Boy Scouts approve plan to accept openly gay boys

[TrogL]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130523/us-boy-scouts-gays/?utm_hp_ref=homepage&ir=homepage

The Boy Scouts of America's National Council has voted to ease a long-standing ban and allow openly gay boys to be accepted as Scouts.

Of the local Scout leaders voting at their annual meeting in Texas, more than 60 percent supported the proposal.

Under the proposal drafted by the Scouts' governing board, gay adults will remain barred from serving as Scout leaders.

(crosspost from LBN)

[MNBrewer]

1. I guess half a loaf....

etc. Of course, once these perfectly acceptable openly gay scouts turn 18, they get kicked out. The fight will continue.

[Gothmog]

2. This is a step in the right direction

First, the rules on adults have not changed which means that an adult leader can be gay so long as they do not wear their scout uniform to a gay pride event. The current rule (that will remain in effect) is a very strict form of don't ask, don't tell where you have to do a great deal to get banned. As a practical matter, the charter organizations who are comfortable with homosexuality will not ask and any homosexuals who want to be a leader can be a leader so long as they do not wear their scout uniform to a gay pride event. Back when I was more active in my district, there were 8 to 10 senior leaders who were gay and no one gave a darn. Three or four of these leaders were at my scoutmaster fundamental training.

The change in the policy as to scouts is a step in the right direction. Ever since the Dale case (the SCOTUS decision involving a gay leader who did wear his scout uniform to a gay pride event), there have been leaders working on changing the BSA policy on this issue and progress is slow but steady.

[BillStein]

3. This drives me nuts

When I was a Boy Scout our leader got thrown out for molesting younger boys (11-12 yo). He could be a leader today because he was "straight", married with two kids.

Freaking idiots