NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Boy Scouts of America on Friday proposed lifting a ban on gay scouts but maintaining a prohibition on gay adults from leading troops, a compromise that attempts to end a fight that has split the century-old American institution into bitter factions.
– It looks like the Boy Scouts of America may be ready to end its ban on openly gay scouts, but not on gay leaders. The organization today proposed doing away with the longstanding and controversial ban, which would mean that in the future, "no youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone," a spokesperson tells Reuters. However, the proposal would continue to exclude gay adult leaders, the AP reports. The policy won't become official, however, unless the organization's National Council, which has 1,400 voting members, approves it at its meeting in Texas the week of May 20. This proposal comes on the heels of three months of research the Boy Scouts did, including surveys sent to members.