Boy Scouts: Ban on Gays Stands

The Boy Scouts isn't budging one inch on its policy of excluding homosexuals from its ranks. The AP reports that the organization today "emphatically reaffirmed" the ban, which applies to both Scouts and leaders. The committee tasked with carrying out the confidential two-year review "came to the conclusion that this policy is absolutely the best policy for the Boy Scouts," says a Boy Scouts rep, who noted that the committee was unanimous in its decision.

"The vast majority of the parents of youth we serve value their right to address issues of same-sex orientation within their family, with spiritual advisers, and at the appropriate time and in the right setting," says the group's chief exec. "We fully understand that no single policy will accommodate the many diverse views among our membership or society." A 300,000-signature-strong Change.org petition clamoring for an end to the ban is set to be delivered to Scouts headquarters tomorrow. (More Boy Scouts of America stories.)