By Erik Eckholm | The New York Times
The Mormon Church has declared its support for the Boy Scouts of America’s proposal to end a longstanding ban on openly gay youths, while continuing to bar gay adult leaders.
The endorsement on Thursday by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the country’s largest sponsor of scout troops, is a strong indication that the proposed change will be adopted by delegates to the group’s annual meeting, to start in Texas on May 22.
The ban on gay youths and leaders has come under growing public scrutiny, with some cities and charities saying they cannot support an organization that discriminates. But the Boy Scouts also feared losing partnerships with conservative churches that call homosexual acts a sin.
The Mormon Church sponsors 25 percent of all local Cub Scout and Boy Scout groups, accounting for 15 percent of a total membership of 2.7 million.
In the past, the Mormon and Roman Catholic Churches and some evangelical Christian groups had threatened to sever ties with the Scouts if they permitted gay members and leaders. This month, after extensive surveys and discussions with scout leaders and parents around the country, Boy Scout executives said they found a mix of attitudes but widespread objections to gay leaders, in particular.
