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Since 1908, hundreds of millions of boys have passed through the ranks of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), earning badges, garnering camping and outdoor skills, making friends and contributing to community service projects locally and nationwide. As the largest male youth organization in the country, the Boy Scouts has prided itself on instilling in its members a sense of duty to family, community, country and church. Ostensibly open to all boys, the BSA has come under fire in the last two decades (see timeline) for excluding and expelling gay youth and for dismissing many qualified gay and bisexual Scout leaders once their sexual orientation became known.
Although BSA literature has never explicitly stated a policy regarding gays, the BSA is resolute
in its anti-gay stance. According to BSA officials, "homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the requirements in the Scout Oath that a scout be morally straight." The Scout Law defines morally straight in the following way: "to be a person of strong character, to guide your life with honesty, purity, and justice. Respect and defend the rights of all people. Your relationships with people should be honest and open. Be clean in your speech and actions, and faithful in your religious beliefs." Opponents of the BSA policy claim that sexual orientation does not determine moral values. On the contrary, gay people can possess the values of the BSA as heterosexuals can.
In addition, the BSA claims that it is an entirely private organization and should be entitled to "determine the qualifications of its members and leaders as protected by the Constitution of the United States." Opponents argue that because Boy Scout troops indirectly receive public money and often meet in public spaces, BSA should be accountable to anti-discrimination laws that protect people on the basis of gender, race, religion, creed, and in many cases, sexual orientation.
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