Robert M. Gates, former Secretary of Defense and the current President of the Boy Scouts of America, spoke on the topic of gay leadership for Boy Scouts of America at the annual meeting of Boy Scouts in Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday. He warned the group that "we must deal with the world as it is, not as we might wish it to be."
Gates does not intend to revoke the charters of Boy Scout councils that allow gay leaders, but he is not seeking for immediate policy changes. Yet, this might prove to be significant for weakening the ban the Boy Scouts of America has been holding for 105 years.
Stating the current day events like the employment discrimination lawsuits and Supreme Court decision on the same-sex marriage, Gates pointed out that the rules of Boy Scouts of America to ban openly homosexual leaders "cannot be sustained."
"Dozens of states - from New York to Utah - are passing laws that protect employment rights on the basis of sexual orientation," Gates said. "Thus, between internal challenges and potential legal conflicts, the Boy Scouts of America finds itself in an unsustainable position."
"The one thing we cannot do is put our heads in the sand and pretend this challenge will go away or abate. Quite the opposite is happening," Gates said.
Gates' stance comes as a surprise to many, considering that Boy Scouts of America has had a long tradition in its Scout Oath to be "morally straight." The Boy Scouts of America has held the policy to ban gay leadership since its beginning and went through court trials to establish that leaders cannot be homosexual.
The issue of ending bans on gay leaders must be dealt with the conservative supporters of the organization. Boy Scouts of America has its foundations on faith as one of its Oath has to do with duty to God. Furthermore, the big supporters for the organization are The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Roman Catholic church, and some evangelical churches. Gates plans to allow the local organizations "to determine the standards for their Scout leaders" in order that religious freedom may also be maintained in the organization as well.
Memberships to Boy Scouts of America has been on a decline after the admitting of openly homosexual members back in 2014. The future of Boy Scouts of America will depend on whether they decide to cling to their traditional views or to adapt to the cultural norm.
Joo Heon Lee is a student volunteer writer from the University of California, Irvine.
