What is alarming is the way in which social and political pressures forced the change. Less than a year after voting to keep the ban on gays in tact, the Boy Scouts have changed course.
A February Boy Scout poll showed deep divisions, with a majority of teen Scouts opposing both bans and 61 percent of all members supporting them.
Gay rights groups have poured resources into the measure’s passage, which they called “historic” when viewed as an important step toward eventually removing the ban against gay adult leaders. For this reason, gay proponents said they are willing to overlook temporarily the obvious awkwardness of the arrangement: Youths who are gay can be out, but the day they turn 18 they can no longer serve in an organization in which it’s common for people who were Boy Scouts to remain active as adult leaders.
The majority of Scout troops are chartered by churches, many of them with conservative theology. Expect an exodus of church-backed troops on a grand scale over the coming year, along with plenty of lawsuits.
This could be the beginning of the end for Boy Scouts as many religious organizations will inevitably part ways with the organization.
Nathan Harden is editor of The College Fix and author of SEX & GOD AT YALE: Porn, Political Correctness, and a Good Education Gone Bad.
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