Boy Scouts Uphold Ban on Gays

After a confidential two-year review, the Boy Scouts of America reaffirmed its policy of excluding gays on Tuesday, according to reports of several national news sources and the Scouts.

Deron Smith, the national spokesman for the Scouts told the Associated Press that in 2010, an 11-member committee formed discreetly to decide whether gays should be permitted in the Scouts. The special committee came to the conclusion that the exclusion policy "is absolutely the best policy" for the 112-year-old organization, an article on Huffington Post said.

The Scouts' chief executive, Bob Mazzuca, said that most Scout families support the policy and that was a key reason for keeping 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 in a press release on the Boy Scouts of America website.

Though the Boy Scouts of America hope that the debate over the policy might subside now that the decision has been reaffirmed, Chad Griffin, the president of the Human Rights Campaign described the decision as "a missed opportunity of colossal proportions" in the Huffington Post article.

"With the country moving toward inclusion, the leaders of the Boy Scouts of America have instead sent a message to young people that only some of them are valued," Griffin said. "They've chosen to teach division and intolerance."

The Boy Scouts of America National Executive Board said in a statement that “Scouting believes that good people can personally disagree on this topic and still work together to achieve the life-changing benefits to youth through Scouting. While not all Board members may personally agree with this policy, and may choose a different direction for their own organizations, BSA leadership agrees this is the best policy for the organization and supports it for the BSA.”

The Scouts said that there will be no further action taken on the resolution.

According to the Bucks County Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Richboro and Holland have three Cubs Scouts packs (Pack 145 in Richboro, Packs 147 and 280 in Holland), four Boy Scout Troops (Troop 145 and 240 in Richboro, Troops 147 and 280 in Holland) and two venturing crews and exploring posts (Crews 147 and 280).

If you're a former or present Boy Scout member, tell us your thoughts in the comments.