Boy Scouts of America: Nope, We Still Hate Gays

After two years considering whether to repeal their policy of banning openly gay members, the Boy Scouts of America has reaffirmed its constitutional right to act like an antiquated bunch of homophobes.

The Associated Press explains:

An 11-member special committee, formed discreetly by top Scout leaders in 2010, "came to the conclusion that this policy is absolutely the best policy for the Boy Scouts," the organization' national spokesman, Deron Smith, told The Associated Press.

As a result of the committee's decision, the Scouts' national executive board will take no further action on a recently submitted resolution asking for reconsideration of the membership policy.

The Scouts did not identify the members of the special committee, but said in a statement that they represented "a diversity of perspectives and opinions."

"The review included forthright and candid conversation and extensive research and evaluations — both from within Scouting and from outside of the organization," the statement said.

What's ironic is how incredibly self-unaware the Boy Scouts sound:

A statement Tuesday from the national executive board's executive committee alluded to the Turley-Stephenson developments.

"Scouting believes that good people can personally disagree on this topic and still work together to achieve the life-changing benefits to youth through Scouting," the statement said.

Umm... not when you keep kicking out the gay den mothers and fathers who are trying to positively change the lives of your scouts! Geez...

It's an open secret that the BSA has deep ties with both the Mormon and Southern Baptist leadership. So we shouldn't expect anything to change until those partnerships rupture.

But the statement may also be a way to silence activists like Zach Wahls and ousted lesbian den mother Jennifer Tyrrell who have been pressuring the BSA to overturn its needlessly hateful policy over the past several months.

Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin responded to today's news by saying, "This is a missed opportunity of colossal proportions. With the country moving towards inclusion, the leaders of the Boy Scouts of America have instead sent a message to young people that only some of them are valued."

He continued, "These adults could have taught the next generation of leaders the value of respect, yet they've chosen to teach division and intolerance."

We couldn't have said it better ourselves.