Boy Scouts Delays Decision on Whether to Overturn Gay Ban

Jennifer Tyrrell of Bridgeport, Ohio responds to reporters questions during a news conference standing behind four boxes filled with a petition in front of the Boy Scouts of America headquarters Monday, Feb. 4, 2013, in Dallas, Texas. Scouts and their families have delivered a petition to the Boy Scouts of America headquarters urging an end to a policy banning gay scouts and leaders from the organization. The Ohio woman was ousted as a den mother because she is a lesbian. (AP)

IRVING, Texas (AP) — A decision on whether the Boy Scouts of America will keep its policy that excludes gay members and leaders will not be voted on until the organization’s annual meeting in May, the national executive board said Wednesday.

Deron Smith, the BSA director of public relations, said the executive board will prepare a resolution to be voted on by the 1,400 voting members of the national council.

“After careful consideration and extensive dialogue within the Scouting family, along with comments from those outside the organization, the volunteer officers of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Executive Board concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy,” Smith said in a statement.

The meeting will take place in May, 2013, in Grapevine, Texas.

BSA announced last week it was considering allowing troops to decide whether to allow gay membership. That news has placed a spotlight on executive board meetings that began Monday in Irving, Texas, where scouting headquarters is located.

BSA spokesman Deron Smith said last week that the board could take a vote Wednesday or decide to discuss the policy, but the organization would issue a statement either way. Otherwise, the board has remained silent, with reporters barred from the hotel where its meetings are taking place.

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