Boy Scouts Reaffirm Anti-Gay Position

Zach Wahls, famous straight ally from Iowa with two lesbian moms,
 is an Eagle Scout trying to change the homophobic Boy Scout policy

The Boy Scouts of America, one of the most capriciously anti-gay private organizations in the United States, announced on Tuesday that they were going to retain their notorious policy of excluding openly gay boys who want to belong to the organization, after a an alleged review that took two years. (This policy also excludes boys who are openly atheist or agnostic.)

According to the AP:

The Scouts' national spokesman, Deron Smith, told The Associated Press that an 11-member special committee, formed discreetly by top Scout leaders in 2010, came to the conclusion that the exclusion policy "is absolutely the best policy" for the 102-year-old organization. 

[...]

As a result of the committee's decision, the Scouts' national executive board will take no further action on a resolution submitted at its recent national conference asking for reconsideration of the membership policy.

The Scouts' chief executive, Bob Mazzuca, contended that most Scout families support the policy, which applies to both adult leaders and Scouts.

"The vast majority of the parents of youth we serve value their right to address issues of same-sex orientation within their family, with spiritual advisers and at the appropriate time and in the right setting," Mazzuca said. "We fully understand that no single policy will accommodate the many diverse views among our membership or society."

Gee, I wonder how they know that the vast majority of current Scout parents believe  the current policy is correct? Could it be because the vast majority of current Scout parents are Mormon?

It is somewhat curious that the policy was announced now, because when the review was announced way back in 2010, it was said that the decision would happen in 2013. But, it is believed that the outgoing president of the organization supports the policy while the incoming president of the organization does not.

The Boy Scouts of America have the right to discriminate in their membership on the basis of sexual orientation due to a famous Supreme Court case from 2000 called Dale v. United States which was argued by Freedom to Marry founder and executive director Evan Wolfson when he worked for Lambda  Legal. Despite winning the case, the Boy Scouts have become increasingly controversial for their bizarre policy, which is clearly out of step with the rest of society becoming more tolerant towards homosexuality. The Girl Scouts of America have long allowed (and affirmed) the participation of LGBT parents and kids and Boy Scouts organizations in other countries like Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom all allow openly gay people to belong to the organization, thus demonstrating exactly how capricious the Boy Scouts of America policy is.

Hat/tip to TowleRoad.