I’m guessing the Scouts have been suffering from declining membership because it’s seen as cornball and unhip. But letting open sodomites in (though one must wonder how many closet queens the Scouts have had in their ranks) is not the way to fix this. Very disappointed in Gates BTW. Better a leaner and meaner Boy Scouts, even if this means it would be centered more in the Bible Belt and weak on the coasts.
I can comment on this, if I may.....
WBill Jr. started in Cub Scouts the year before all this gay nonsense started happening. Our pack was one of the smaller ones in the area, but was pretty active, had 40-50 kids in it.
In the ensuing 3+ years, membership is down by more than 2/3. Other packs that I've talked with are reporting the same kind of numbers. The first recruitment meeting that I went to - for WBill Jr - had several dozen kids attending. I'm in charge of recruiting for the pack, now, and its not unusual to have zero kids show up at the same recruitment meetings.
There's nothing new going on in town....still the same competition (sports, martial arts, video games, whatever) for the kids' time. IMO, there's one thing, and one thing only, that's changed.
In truth, I can't blame parents in the least. I've stayed on for a couple of reasons - WBill Jr. would look at it as a punishment if I pulled him out of the pack. I also feel responsible ... the boys that still attend need a good male role model, and for some of them, the scoutmasters are all they've got.
I can't change things on the national level, but I can on the local level.
Truth be told, it's likely to become a moot point. Unless recruitment turns around (not optimistic), our pack will most likely fold after this year.