Reapin
05-23-2013, 06:58 PM
Boy Scouts to allow gay youths to join
(CNN) -- Openly gay youths will be allowed to join scouting, delegates to the annual meeting of the Boy Scouts of America voted Thursday.
More than 60% of the group's 1,400-member national council voted in Grapevine, Texas, for the historic policy change, which will take effect January 1.
"No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone," says the approved resolution.
The BSA will maintain its ban on gay adult leaders.
Boy Scouts consider ending gay ban
Land: Gays in Boy Scouts 'a catastrophe'
"The resolution also reinforces that Scouting is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether heterosexual or homosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting," the 103-year-old organization said in a statement.
The BSA said there are no plans for further review of the issue.
"The Boy Scouts of America will not sacrifice its mission, or the youth served by the movement, by allowing the organization to be consumed by a single, divisive, and unresolved societal issue," it said.
Reaction to Thursday's vote was swift.
The Human Rights Campaign said the BSA took a "historic step forward."
"Unfortunately, the new policy does not go far enough, leaving adult Eagle Scouts, scout leaders, and parents behind," the group said.
John Stemberger, founder of OnMyHonor.net, which opposed the resolution, called the vote a "sad day for Scouting."
"It is with great sadness and deep disappointment that we recognize on this day that the most influential youth program in America has turned a tragic corner," Stemberger said. "The vote today to allow open and avowed homosexuality into Scouting will completely transform it into an unprincipled and risky proposition for parents."
The conservative Family Research Council tweeted: "Sadly, the @boyscouts' legacy of producing great leaders has become yet another casualty of moral compromise."
The vote followed months of intense debate among interest groups and within the ranks of Scouting itself.
In February, the Boy Scouts' national executive board postponed a vote on the issue and ordered a survey of its members.
That survey showed an organization divided by age and, in some cases, by region.
"While a majority of adults in the Scouting community support the BSA's current policy of excluding open and avowed homosexuals, young parents and teens tend to oppose the policy," the survey said.
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Never did like this organization, even when I was a kid. I beat up many a boyscout in my youth. Lets hope it destroys it.
(CNN) -- Openly gay youths will be allowed to join scouting, delegates to the annual meeting of the Boy Scouts of America voted Thursday.
More than 60% of the group's 1,400-member national council voted in Grapevine, Texas, for the historic policy change, which will take effect January 1.
"No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone," says the approved resolution.
The BSA will maintain its ban on gay adult leaders.
Boy Scouts consider ending gay ban
Land: Gays in Boy Scouts 'a catastrophe'
"The resolution also reinforces that Scouting is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether heterosexual or homosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting," the 103-year-old organization said in a statement.
The BSA said there are no plans for further review of the issue.
"The Boy Scouts of America will not sacrifice its mission, or the youth served by the movement, by allowing the organization to be consumed by a single, divisive, and unresolved societal issue," it said.
Reaction to Thursday's vote was swift.
The Human Rights Campaign said the BSA took a "historic step forward."
"Unfortunately, the new policy does not go far enough, leaving adult Eagle Scouts, scout leaders, and parents behind," the group said.
John Stemberger, founder of OnMyHonor.net, which opposed the resolution, called the vote a "sad day for Scouting."
"It is with great sadness and deep disappointment that we recognize on this day that the most influential youth program in America has turned a tragic corner," Stemberger said. "The vote today to allow open and avowed homosexuality into Scouting will completely transform it into an unprincipled and risky proposition for parents."
The conservative Family Research Council tweeted: "Sadly, the @boyscouts' legacy of producing great leaders has become yet another casualty of moral compromise."
The vote followed months of intense debate among interest groups and within the ranks of Scouting itself.
In February, the Boy Scouts' national executive board postponed a vote on the issue and ordered a survey of its members.
That survey showed an organization divided by age and, in some cases, by region.
"While a majority of adults in the Scouting community support the BSA's current policy of excluding open and avowed homosexuals, young parents and teens tend to oppose the policy," the survey said.
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Never did like this organization, even when I was a kid. I beat up many a boyscout in my youth. Lets hope it destroys it.