Religious groups weigh in on BSA's debate to lift ban on gay scouts, leaders

Three religious liberty law firms are warning leaders of the Boy Scouts of America that lifting the ban on gay scouts and scoutmasters would jeopardize church-based troops that support the current policy.

 

In a letter to top Boy Scout officials, Liberty Institute, Liberty Counsel and the Alliance Defending Freedom note that the Supreme Court upheld the ban as part of scouting's self-defined mission to instill morals, so making gay membership optional would suggest the Boy Scouts no longer consider homosexuality immoral. The letter says that would expose scout troops that disagree to discrimination lawsuits and force some churches to end their sponsorships.

 

Meanwhile, scouts and their families delivered a petition to the Boy Scouts of America headquarters urging an end to the ban on gays. They said the petition includes 1.4 million signatures.