Since 1991, the Boy Scouts of America has barred openly gay individuals from participating in its program at any level.

Scouts for Equality is leading a respectful, honest dialogue with current and former Scouts and Scout Leaders about ending this policy. By embodying the values of the Scout Oath and Law, we believe we can restore the social relevancy of one of this country’s great cultural institutions: the Boy Scouts of America.

The members of this organization are united by a common thread: love of the Scouting organization. Indeed, it is our commitment to the preservation of this experience–and the values we learned during our own participation in it–that have led us to stand up and speak out against this policy. The BSA has long operated on a foundation of mutual religious respect, and at the point that one set of beliefs is being held as more morally superior to another we believe it is the obligation of Eagles to restore scouting’s original promise of religious respect.