The Boy Scouts of America is expected to officially end its ban on gay adult scout leaders today, due to “sea change in the law with respect to gay rights.”
Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the Boy Scouts’ president, said in May that the ban was “unsustainable” and that new anti-discrimination laws “have confronted us with urgent challenges I did not foresee and which we cannot ignore.”
However, according to The New York Times, several scouting groups will “still be able to limit leadership jobs to heterosexuals,” with certain units able to choose scout leaders “whose beliefs are consistent with their own,” according to a statement released by the organization.
According to The Washington Post, some “70 percent of Boy Scout troops are run by faith-based groups, many from orthodox communities including Mormons, Catholics, Southern Baptists, and Muslims who do not accept gay equality.”
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The Boy Scouts’ membership policy has been increasingly scrutinized in recent years, with prosecutors in New York and Colorado actively investigating the organization’s hiring practices.
The news follows a historic 2013 ballot, in which the Boy Scouts’ 1,400-member council voted to allow gay youths to be part of the organization.
Scouts for Equality have been waiting “on pins and needles” for the vote, and over the weekend Tweeted a series of photographs and names of men and women who’ve been removed from leadership positions over the years:
COUNTDOWN TO #BSA VOTE – Tim may be able to rejoin #Scouting on Mon 7/27 after being removed 25 yrs ago @boyscouts pic.twitter.com/neIMoOOVua
— Scouts For Equality (@Scouts4Equality) July 26, 2015
COUNTDOWN TO #BSA VOTE – David may be able to rejoin #Scouting on Mon 7/27 after being removed 22 yrs ago @boyscouts pic.twitter.com/H5B1JyJ7jL
— Scouts For Equality (@Scouts4Equality) July 26, 2015
COUNTDOWN TO #BSA VOTE – Dave may be able to rejoin #Scouting on Mon 7/27 after being removed 17 yrs ago @boyscouts pic.twitter.com/GvDNUaGcUF
— Scouts For Equality (@Scouts4Equality) July 26, 2015
COUNTDOWN TO #BSA VOTE – Jen may be able to rejoin #Scouting on Mon 7/27 after being removed 3 years ago @boyscouts pic.twitter.com/N8oFPfANQP
— Scouts For Equality (@Scouts4Equality) July 25, 2015