On Monday, the governing board of the Boy Scouts of America voted to end its ban on gay scout leaders.
The national executive board came to the conclusion that the policy "was no longer legally defensible," and the decision was approved by 79 percent of the board, NBC News reports. Local scouting units can still bar gay applicants from leadership positions if hiring them would violate religious beliefs. "This change allows Scouting's members and parents to select local units chartered by organizations with similar beliefs, that best meet the needs of their families," the Boy Scouts said in a statement. About 70 percent of local scouting units are sponsored by religious organizations, with many speaking out about the ban in the past.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Big Tech critic Brendan Carr is Trump's FCC pickIn the Spotlight The next FCC commissioner wants to end content moderation practices on social media sites
-
ATACMS, the long-range American missiles being fired by UkraineThe Explainer President Joe Biden has authorized their use for the first time in the war
-
The bacterial consequences of hurricanesUnder the radar Floodwaters are microbial hotbeds
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
