The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has changed its century-old policy to bring into membership open and avowed homosexual youths through age 17.
However, the Scouts will maintain the ban on anyone ages 18+ who is homosexual, meaning that a 17 year-old Eagle Scout will be expelled from the Scouts upon his eighteenth birthday, instead of transitioning into adult leadership. This incoherent policy could lead to crippling anti-discrimination lawsuits that could ultimately ruin the Boy Scouts.
As Breitbart News reported earlier today, attendees say the meeting was characterized by one-sided lobbying efforts that marginalized supporters of BSA’s longstanding policy. BSA’s new policy was adopted by delegates at its national meeting by a vote of 61.5% in favor of the change, and 38.5% of the vote against.
In 2000, the Supreme Court upheld the Scouts’ rights to exclude open and avowed homosexuals in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale. The Court held that the Scouts have a First Amendment right to determine what its values are, and require that its membership be a reflection of those values. BSA’s beliefs were that open homosexuality is incompatible with the Scout Oath that a Scout must be “morally straight,” and the Scout Law requirement that a Scout be “clean.” On that basis, the Court upheld BSA’s right to exclude open homosexuals from membership.
Read more: Breitbart.com
