The 105-year-old organization Boy Scouts of America continues to struggle with various policies which have given the organization a tainted reputation. In particular, is the ban on adult gay leaders. But today, May 21, 2015, during the National Conference of the Boy Scouts of America, the new President Robert Gates, who was formerly the U.S. secretary of defensive and former C.I.A. director, said to continue the “movement” of scouting, they must officially address the issue of allowing gay adults as leaders.
The statement is moving the extremely traditional organization in the right direction, but not much will be done quite yet. Gates said he’s not planning to revoke the charter of various Boy Scout councils that allow gay leaders, and he also said this is something that needs to be further discussed at another time.
What is disappointing is that in his speech of addressing the gay rights issue, he also admitted that he isn’t necessarily for it.
“We must deal with the world as it is, not as we might wish it to be. The status quo in our movement’s membership standards cannot be sustained,” said Gates.
“Dozens of states – from New York to Utah – are passing laws that protect employment rights on the basis of sexual orientation,” he said. “Thus, between internal challenges and potential legal conflicts, the Boy Scouts of America finds itself in an unsustainable position.”
According to Zach Wahls, executive director of Scouts for Equality, “We are 180 degrees from where we were a year ago. This is a very, very positive development.”
In 2013, Boy Scouts of America did lift its ban on gay youth who wanted to be members, which was a significant move that angered many of the church-backed councils. However in the real world, it was a promising step. But the damage has been tremendous and the backlash continues to be significant.
Gates also said that in the name of religious freedom, the Scouts should allow local sponsoring organizations “to determine the standards for their Scout leaders.”
“Such an approach would allow all churches, which sponsor some 70 percent of our Scout units, to establish leadership standards consistent with their faith,” he said.
“We must, at all costs, preserve the religious freedom of our church partners to do this.”
In response, Wahls said, “Dr. Gates has built his reputation on straight talk and tough decisions, and I’m glad he’s fully endorsing a re-evaluation of the Boy Scouts’ ban on gay adults. It seems like the Boy Scouts will continue an internal dialogue about the subject and that a change within the next year or two is imminent.”
