Boy Scouts' national president says ban on gay troop leaders 'cannot be sustained'

Robert Gates, the president of Boy Scouts America, moved a little closer on Thursday to challenging the organization's ban on gay troop leaders, The Associated Press reports.

"The status quo in our movement's membership standards cannot be sustained," Gates said in remarks at the Boy Scouts of America National Council meeting. "We cannot ignore the social, political, and judicial changes taking place in our country."

The New York Daily News notes that while the organization changed its standards in 2013 to allow youth members entry to the Boy Scouts regardless of sexual orientation, that amendment did not address openly gay adult Boy Scouts or troop leaders, who remain banned from participation in Scout councils. While some members hoped the leadership would use its annual meeting to vote on a change to the policy, Gates added in his remarks that no formal change to the ban would be made during the meeting, and that individual troops are free to set their own policies regarding troop leaders.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up