On Friday, officials of the Boy Scouts of America proposed a resolution that would allow openly-gay youth members of the organization with the statement that “no youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone.” The resolution would continue to bar gay scout leaders, whose inclusion the BSA estimated could cause defections costing the organization 100,000 to 350,000 members.

The Boy Scouts have been considering a possible change of policy that would lift the ban on openly gay Scouts and Scout leaders, but the organization had delayed a decision on the issue until May, citing "the complexity of this issue". Now, the organization has announced that the new proposal permitting openly gay youth members will be submitted to the 1,400 voting members of its National Council at a meeting in late May.

The resolution comes after the BSA sent out a comprehensive survey to its million members. ABC News reports that respondents supported the BSA's current policy of excluding gays by a margin of 61 percent to 34 percent, with younger parents and teens opposing the policy. But the BSA states that "while perspectives and opinions vary significantly, parents, adults in the Scouting community and teens alike tend to agree that youth should not be denied the benefits of Scouting."

Previously:
Carly-Rae Jepsen And Train Ditch Boy Scout Jamboree Headlining Gig Due To Anti-Gay Policy
Under Conservative Pressure, Boy Scouts Delay Decision on Allowing Gay Members

Boy Scouts Possibly Doing An About-Face On Gay Ban

[NYTimes]
[ABC News]
[Washington Post]