Boy Scouts of America vote to lift ban on openly gay scouts

The Boy Scouts of America voted on Thursday to lift a ban on openly gay scouts that had been in place throughout the organization’s 103-year history, capping weeks of intense lobbying on both sides, the group said in a statement.

More than 60 percent of the group’s National Council, composed of some 1,400 delegates, voted to end the ban effective Jan. 1, 2014.

A prohibition on openly gay adult leaders remains in place.

“We’ve had an extensive dialogue within the scouting family. That dialogue was very extensive. It was exhaustive, and it was very respectful. Following this most comprehensive dialogue and listening phase that we have ever undertaken, the Boy Scouts of America – the voting members of the National Council – today approved a resolution removing the restriction, denying membership, to youth on a basis of sexual orientation alone, effective Jan. 1, 2014. The membership policy will remain the same for adults,” Wayne Perry, the National President of the Boy Scouts of America told reporters.

The decision followed weeks of lobbying by gay rights activists and members of conservative organizations, many of them church groups that have traditionally formed the backbone of one of the nation’s largest youth organizations.

The Boy Scouts’ long-standing ban on gay scouts had become a polarizing issue at the center of the debate on gay rights in the United States, which allows gay soldiers to serve openly in the military.

The vote came about three months after the organization’s leadership delayed a decision on changing its membership policy to research attitudes toward admitting gays.

“While people have differing opinions about this policy, kids are better off when they’re in scouting. Now that the decision has been made, it’s time to move forward, and it’s time to stand together. America needs scouting, and everyone within the scouting family needs to work to stay focused on that which unites us: reaching and serving young people to grow into good strong citizens. We believe that good people can disagree and still work together to accomplish good things for youth and the communities in which we serve,” Wayne Brock, the Boy Scouts of America Chief Scout Executive said.

Support for ending the ban on gay scouts came from some of the biggest American churches, including the Mormons and the Methodists, the two largest scouting sponsors in the United States.

About 70 percent of the group’s 100,000 Boy Scout units are chartered by faith-based organizations, according to Boy Scouts membership data. Some 22 percent of the units nationwide are chartered by civic organizations, and 7 percent are chartered by educational groups.

While national polls show a growing acceptance of gay rights, an online survey of about 200,000 BSA members, parents and leaders indicated strong support for maintaining the ban, by a margin of almost 2-1.

Despite voting to allow gay youth into the Boy Scouts of America, a ban on gay adults holding positions in the organization remains in place.

“Our adult membership standard has not changed. Any gay scout can remain in scouting so long as they meet and live by the scout oath and law. The membership standards for adults are different. When a child reaches the age of 18, a boy – or 21 in Venturing, they have to change their roles in this movement. They file a new application for membership. They subject themselves to a criminal background check, and they realize that the leadership role is a different role. This resolution today dealt with youth. We have not changed our adult membership standards. They have served us well for the last hundred years. Those were not on the table. We’re accepting youth. We’re excited where we are, and we intend to continue to serve as many youth in America as we can serve,” Tico Perez, Boy Scouts of America National Commissioner said.

Gay rights activists have vowed to continue their campaign until the ban on gay adults is removed, too.

Gay rights advocates gathered petitions with more than 1.8 million signatures in support of ending the ban on gay youth. Opponents collected about 250,000 signatures urging delegates to vote down the change.