Local Boy Scouts of America leaders, parents and scouts will meet next week to discuss what effect ending a longtime ban on gay leaders and scouts would have on the organization.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Local Boy Scouts of America leaders, parents and scouts will meet next week to discuss what effect ending a longtime ban on gay leaders and scouts would have on the organization.
Only scouts, scout leaders, parents and prominent donors will be allowed to attend the meeting, set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Scouts' Buckskin Council headquarters on Kanawha Boulevard, said Jeffery Purdy, the Buckskin Council's scout executive. The meeting could be moved to a larger venue if necessary, he said.
The Buckskin Council oversees Boy Scouts in 19 counties in West Virginia, three in Virginia and one in Kentucky. Its area includes the new Summit Bechtel Reserve in Fayette County, scheduled to host its first National Scout Jamboree in July.
The Boy Scouts began weighing whether to allow gay members to join openly after receiving backlash from equality groups earlier this year. In February, national officials put off a decision until May, then asked local chapters to hold meetings to gather feedback.
Officials say they're concerned that a future policy change could affect scout membership, donations and church involvement.
"This is not about a discussion right or wrong," Purdy said of next week's meeting. "But instead we're asking donors if this change would affect their decision to donate."
The council has sent out cards to scouts, parents and leaders, asking them to call the Buckskin Council at 304-340-3663 for reservations. No one who doesn't call ahead will be allowed in, Purdy said, and neither will reporters.
"We only want to have a discussion with stakeholders," he said. "It's not meant to be a secret meeting. We just don't want to have outside people commandeer the discussion."
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Local Boy Scouts of America leaders, parents and scouts will meet next week to discuss what effect ending a longtime ban on gay leaders and scouts would have on the organization.
Only scouts, scout leaders, parents and prominent donors will be allowed to attend the meeting, set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Scouts' Buckskin Council headquarters on Kanawha Boulevard, said Jeffery Purdy, the Buckskin Council's scout executive. The meeting could be moved to a larger venue if necessary, he said.
The Buckskin Council oversees Boy Scouts in 19 counties in West Virginia, three in Virginia and one in Kentucky. Its area includes the new Summit Bechtel Reserve in Fayette County, scheduled to host its first National Scout Jamboree in July.
The Boy Scouts began weighing whether to allow gay members to join openly after receiving backlash from equality groups earlier this year. In February, national officials put off a decision until May, then asked local chapters to hold meetings to gather feedback.
Officials say they're concerned that a future policy change could affect scout membership, donations and church involvement.
"This is not about a discussion right or wrong," Purdy said of next week's meeting. "But instead we're asking donors if this change would affect their decision to donate."
The council has sent out cards to scouts, parents and leaders, asking them to call the Buckskin Council at 304-340-3663 for reservations. No one who doesn't call ahead will be allowed in, Purdy said, and neither will reporters.
"We only want to have a discussion with stakeholders," he said. "It's not meant to be a secret meeting. We just don't want to have outside people commandeer the discussion."
Purdy said the feedback would be made into a report for the national headquarters to review. He didn't know what would happen to a scout leader or member who identified as gay during the meeting.
"I honestly don't know how to answer that," Purdy said. "In less than two months, the national organization can change that. It would not be worth the effort for me to speculate."
In 2010, the organization convened a committee made up of professional and volunteer Scouts to review the gay ban. After two years of research, the committee decided to maintain the policy.
In May, that could change. A proposed resolution that will address whether to modify or rescind the policy will be developed for the Scouts' National Council to vote on.
One of the headliners for this summer's Jamboree, the rock band Train, has said they won't play at the event if the Scouts don't change their policy on gays. Another headliner, singer Carly Rae Jepsen, has already pulled out of the Jamboree because of the policy.
There would be no gay groups permitted to speak on behalf of their views at Tuesday's meeting. Purdy said the meeting wouldn't seek to determine if being gay is right or wrong.
"It's to say 'if we did this change, would it affect these areas?'" Purdy said. "Then we can say that we have more support or less support for change. This area is different in thinking than in New York City, for example."
Reach Travis Crum at travis.c...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5163.
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