New York.- On Tuesday, the Boy Scouts of America announced that it will uphold its ban on permitting membership to homosexuals. The decision comes from a two-year confidential review by a special committee of 11 unnnamed members, who unanimously upheld the existing policy that denies gay people membership.
Deron Smith, the organization' national spokesman, told The Associated Press, the group "came to the conclusion that this policy is absolutely the best policy for the Boy Scouts."
Some members have claimed that they do not personally agree with the policy, but decided to uphold the mandate regardless.
In 2000 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the organization's regulation in the case of Boy Scouts of America v. Dale stating First Amendment protection, which grants the organization rights of expressive association. The entire case can be found here.
In a statement released by the organization said "While the BSA does not proactively inquire about the sexual orientation of employees, volunteers, or members, we do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the BSA," as reported on the Slatest Magazine.
The announcement has stirred great disappointment and anger among many from the gay community as well as social rights activists. Chad Griffin of the Human Rights Campaign commented on the organization's decision saying, "With the country moving toward inclusion, the leaders of the Boy Scouts of America have instead sent a message to young people that only some of them are valued," he said. "They've chosen to teach division and intolerance," as reported by the Huffington Post.
