I wouldn’t give Gates and the BSA leadership the credit for it being a snide backhanded slap.
It’s really just a naive attempt to walk what they think to be a ‘centrist’ path. Without realizing that this is a situation where if you walk in the middle of the road you’re going to get hit by both sides.
Other articles have stated that BSA has seen a 7% decline in membership since gay scouts were admitted. There will be further declines from this.
But the declines will be nothing compared to what happens when the church-sponsored troops are compelled to accept gay leaders. Which many of the gay activists quoted in these news articles are now, explicitly, stating is the ultimate goal.
Even setting aside any personal feelings on the matter, any objective analysis will say that BSA is now the walking dead. LDS is 70% of troops, and what % are Roman Catholic ones? An organization like BSA simply can’t afford to absorb losses at that level and survive.
Perhaps, on the part of Gates or some National leaders, but their chains are being yanked by their Gaystapo handlers, who DO know what they want, and who they want to harm.