Boy Scouts Vote To End Ban On Gay Adult Leaders

Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts prepare to lead marchers while waving flags at the 41st annual Pride Parade Sunday, June 28, 2015, in Seattle. A large turnout was expected for gay pride parades across the U.S. following th... Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts prepare to lead marchers while waving flags at the 41st annual Pride Parade Sunday, June 28, 2015, in Seattle. A large turnout was expected for gay pride parades across the U.S. following the landmark Supreme Court ruling that said gay couples can marry anywhere in the country. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

NEW YORK (AP) — The executive committee of the Boy Scouts of America has unanimously approved a resolution that would end the organization’s blanket ban on gay adult leaders and let individual scout units set their own policy on the long-divisive issue.

In a statement Monday, the BSA said the resolution was approved by the executive committee on Friday, and would become official policy if ratified by the organization’s larger National Executive Board at a meeting on July 27.

The committee action follows an emphatic speech in May by the BSA’s president, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, declaring that the longstanding ban on participation by openly gay adults was no longer sustainable.

In 2013, after bitter internal debate, the BSA decided to allow openly gay youth as scouts, but not gay adults as leaders.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Latest News
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: