Because of their position against homosexuality, the Boy Scouts of America have been subject to four separate lawsuits: Curran v. Mount Diablo Council of Boy Scouts of America, 952 P.2d 218 (1998), Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, 530 U.S.640 (2000), Chicago Area Council of Boy Scouts of America v. City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations, 748 N.E. 2d 759 (2001), and Boy Scouts of America v. District of Columbia Commission on Human Rights, 809 A.2d 1192 (2002). In each of these cases, homosexual men who were stripped of their leadership positions within the Boy Scouts sued the organization for discrimination and claimed that their civil rights had been violated. However, in each of these cases, it was determined that the "Boy Scouts asserts that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the values it seeks to instill" (Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, 530 U.S.640 (2000). As a result of this stance, many homosexual Eagle Scouts -- the highest rank that can be attained within the Boy Scouts -- returned their badges in protest (Leitsinger).

Protests like these brought even more attention and scrutiny to the organization. It was only until a meeting in 2013 was held in which "60% of the group's National Council, comprised of some 1,400 delegates, voted in favor of ending the ban, effective January 1, 2014" (Richter). In "Boy Scouts of America votes to end century-old ban on gay scouts," Richter writes, "The Boy Scouts has faced heavy pressure on one side from gay rights supporters and some of the major corporate sponsors who provide much of the group's annual funding, and on the other by a variety of major national church groups, who sponsor and support the large majority of troops nationwide." The Boy Scouts of America also faced the risk of losing corporate...

Intel Corp was followed by United Parcel Service Inc. And Merck & Co (Richter).
Additionally, the Boy Scouts of America faced pressure from faith-based organizations, such as the Mormon Church, expressed support to end the ban on homosexuals. Richter writes, "About 70% of the group's 100,000 Boy Scout units are chartered by faith-based organizations, according to Boy Scouts membership data. Some 22% of the units nationwide are chartered by civic organizations, and 7% are chartered by educational groups." In addition to the Mormon Church, the United Methodist Church, "which charters about 11,000 troops representing about 363,000 scouts," expressed support to end the ban, however, the Catholic Church did not make any comments on the issue (Richter).

Ultimately, the Boy Scouts of America decided that Boy Scout members would be better off as a part of an organization that promotes unity and service to the community and country. However, the ban against Scout Leaders remains in place, effectively preventing individuals from promoting change and tolerance of homosexuals within the organization.

Works Cited

Boy Scouts of America. 2013. Web. 13 July 2013.

BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA V. DALE, (99-699) 530 U.S. 640 (2000).

"BSA's Policy on Homosexuals." BSA-Discrimination.org. 28 April 2013. Web. 13 July 2013.

Leitsinger, Miranda. "Eagle Scouts Return Badges to Protest Policy Banning Gays." U.S. News.

2 August 2012. Web. 13 July 2013.

"Morally Straight." Boy Scouts of America National Council. Internet Wayback Archive

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