Don't celebrate the BSA just yet.

Last night, I read that the Boy Scouts of America were again revisiting the issue of homosexuals being allowed in their organization.  In 2000, the Supreme Court ruled that the BSA was allowed to bar gay scouts and adults under the freedom of association.  I agree with the court in that private organizations that have discrimination as part of the creed, have a right to those values.  Of course, I didn't loose any sleep when I heard that some troops here and there were losing privileged access to public facilities.  People who were involved with the organization turned in their badges and medals.  Earlier this year when the board affirmed their anti-gay policies, big corporations such as Intel and UPS cut their funding to the group.

With corporate money being the straw that broke their backs, I do believe that BSA is caving in to societal pressure.  Well... almost.  You see, what they are talking about is that they are going to let the local organizations decide whether they want to exclude gays.  Then they can say to their donors that they don't have any national policy that discriminates against gays.  If they go that route, certainly there are going to be places where gay scouts will be accepted but there are other places where they will not.  That in my mind, just causes more problems.  Instead of one big fight with national, you've got these multiple grass routes ones which will be--they hope--small enough to go unnoticed.

Sorry atheists and agnostics, but you're still banned no matter what.