Boy Scouts May Soon Reverse Ban On Gay Members, Leaders

After decades of controversy, the Boy Scouts of America is actively considering an end to its policy of banning gay scouts and scout leaders.

A new policy would strike the ban from the national organization's rules, leaving local organizations free to decide for themselves whether to admit gay members. If the policy is approved, it could be announced as early as next week.

Just last week, a Maryland Boy Scout troop nearly had its charter revoked for posting a non-discrimination statement on its website supporting gay scouts. The local Boy Scout council threatened to not recognize the troop as an organization because its stance on sexual orientation was "a message against their policy."

The statement was later removed.

In 2000 the U.S. Supreme Court stated that the Boy Scouts had a First Amendment right of free expression when it came to the organization's requirement that scouts be "morally straight."