Boy Scouts to Open Up to Gays

U.S. boy scouts considering Opening Up for Gays

Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has always rejected openly gays in its ranks, among both youth and adults.

This is in contrast to the girl scouts organization, Girl Scouts of the USA, which allows open lesbians.

As recently as last summer harvested BSA sharp criticism from gay organizations and other groups when they decided to maintain the ban, but now the matter is up for a new discussion.

Board of Boy Scouts of America to discuss the opportunity to repeal the nationwide ban on opening up for  gays, instead to leave it to their local organizations to departments to decide on this issue, said a spokesman.

- The change being discussed would make it up to the religious and civil organizations to decide how to deal with this issue, said spokesman Deron Smith.

Scouting in the United States now consists of 2.6 million children and young people, and over 1 million adult members.

A large part of the members are collectively recruited from the Mormon community of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The United Methodist Church and the Catholic Church.

The U.S. Supreme Court gave in 2000 Boy Scouts of America retains the right to deny gays open membership, but pressed against the scout movement has since soared. 

462,000 Americans recently signed a petition in support of a gay man in California who wanted to join, and gays scouts have formed several campaign groups.