IRVING, Texas, July 18, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a statement issued July 17 the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) reaffirmed its longstanding policy of protecting youth by not allowing homosexuals to serve as leaders, and confirmed that the decision is final.
“After careful consideration of a resolution asking the Boy Scouts of America to reconsider its longstanding membership standards policy, today the organization affirmed its current policy, stating that it remains in the best interest of Scouting and that there will be no further action taken on the resolution,” said the organization.
The BSA policy on homosexuality states that the organization does not grant membership to those “who are open homosexuals or who would engage in a behavior that would distract from the mission of the Boy Scouts.”
BSA national spokesman, Deron Smith, told The Associated Press that an 11-member special committee, formed by top Scout leaders in 2010, “came to the conclusion that this policy is absolutely the best policy for the Boy Scouts.”
The BSA statement said the committee’s review included candid conversation and extensive research and evaluations – both from within Scouting and from outside the organization.
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“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,” said Bob Mazzuca, chief scout executive of Boy Scouts of America.
“While a majority of our membership agrees with our policy, we fully understand that no single policy will accommodate the many diverse views among our membership or society,” he said.
American homosexual activists have been targeting the Boy Scouts since the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2000 that affirmed the organization’s right to ban homosexuals from leadership positions.
Two members of the BSA national executive board, Jim Turley, CEO of the accounting services firm Ernst & Young, and Randall Stephenson, CEO of AT&T, have both said they intend to continue to push Scouting to accept homosexuals and will work from their positions within the BSA to accomplish their aims.
“I support the meaningful work of the Boy Scouts in preparing young people for adventure, leadership, learning and service, however the membership policy is not one I would personally endorse,” Turley said in a statement released by his company in June.
The BSA statement upholding the ban on homosexuals addressed the dissension of the pro-homosexualists on the national executive board.
“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,” the statement said. “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.”
According to the AP report, homosexual activists say they will deliver a petition to BSA headquarters in Irving, Texas, condemning the Boy Scouts’ policy.
The BSA statement affirming membership standards is available here.
To contact the Boy Scouts of America:
Mr. Robert “Bob” Mazzuca
Chief Scout Executive
Boy Scouts of America
PO Box 152079
Irving, Texas 75015-2079
Phone: 972-580-2000
Email: [email protected]