Update:
The Boy Scouts' National Council, not its Executive Board, will have the final say on whether to let openly gay leaders and scouts into its ranks. Last week, the group's 72 member Executive Board said it would consider changing its longtime ban and allow troops to decide whether to allow gay membership.
That decision was expected today at its annual meeting.
But after a flood of comments from those inside and outside the organization, the board says it needs more time to study and draw up a new membership resolution. Coastal Empire Council Scout Executive Tom Cardiff says, "It came as a surprise to me - I really thought that there would one way or another, be a decision made you know - it's been very volatile on both sides of the issue and there's been thousands and hundreds of thousands of emails and phone calls going into the National office. So I'm hoping the reason they decided was, is, they really want to sit down. They may have made kind of a snap judgment,"
The resolution will be considered by some 1400 voting members of the Boy Scouts National Council at its annual meeting in May.
Original Story:
The Boy Scouts of America has decided to delay its vote on a proposal to allow local troops to decide whether to allow openly gay members and leaders. The organization said it needs more time to get input from its members. The vote will now be held in May.
"After careful consideration and extensive dialogue within the Scouting family, along with comments from those outside the organization, the volunteer officers of the Boy Scouts of America's National Executive Board concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy," the Scouts said in a statement.
Until a vote is taken, it appears the organization will continue its ban on gay Scouts and Scout leaders.
