The new head of the Boy Scouts of America, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, said Friday he supports inclusion of gay adults in Scouting but opposes re-opening talks on the issue that has divided one of the country's most popular youth organizations in recent years.
Gates was confirmed as the BSA president on Thursday at the group's annual national meeting in Nashville. His appointment comes one year after the organization voted in a controversial ballot to allow gay youth - but not adults - to join Scouting.
'I was prepared to go further than the decision that was made,' Gates told bberitaa.blogspot.com before delivering a speech at the meeting and remarks that were distributed by the BSA. 'I would have supported having gay Scoutmasters, but at the same time, I fully accept the decision that was democratically arrived at by 1,500 volunteers (on the National Council) from across the entire country.'
'Given the strong feelings - the passion - involved on both sides of this matter, I believe strongly that to re-open the membership issue or try to take last year's decision to the next step would irreparably fracture and perhaps even provoke a formal, permanent split in this movement - with the high likelihood neither side would subsequently survive on its own.
'... And who would pay the price for destroying the Boy Scouts of America? Millions of Scouts today and Scouts yet unborn. ... Thus, during my time as president, I will oppose any effort to re-open the issue.'
Gates made his comments a few days after NBC News obtained an internal resolution revealing that the organization had quietly voted to change the eligibility age of youth in Scouting, moving it down from 21 to 18 years old. The change will be implemented likely by spring 2015 and would mean that Scouts now considered youth from ages 18 to 20 would have to comply with adult membership standards - including the ban on open or avowed gays.
At the time of last year's ballot, BSA said all youth members - including in the programs whose maximum age was 21 - could remain in Scouting. Some considered the revelation earlier this week to be an about-face from that pledge.
Gates, an Eagle Scout, shepherded the military through the end of its 'don't ask, don't tell' policy in 2011 and supporters of including gay adults had said they were hopeful that his appointment was a sign that change was coming to the BSA.
First published May 23 2014, 7:26 PM
Miranda LeitsingerMiranda Leitsinger is a reporter at NBC News. She started this role in February 2011. Leitsinger is responsible for long-term enterprise and breaking news coverage. Her beats include recovery from natural disasters and mass shootings, the LGBT community, income inequality, immigration and the Boy Scouts. Leitsinger previously worked at CNN.com in Hong Kong as a digital producer, where she collaborated with the network's television staff in Asia to produce enterprise stories for the website. Before that she worked as a reporter at bberitaa.blogspot.com for seven years in various cities, including New York, Miami, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Bangkok, Thailand, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. She covered the aftermath of 9/11 in Florida, the 2004 tsunami in Asia, the initial military tribunal at Guantanamo and Cambodia's bid to recover from genocide and the ensuing decades of civil war.Leitsinger, a San Francisco native, lives in New York.
Posted by Unknown on Friday, May 23, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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