They can because they are both minors. But that is not usually how it works. If a kid is openly gay, a Scout can just refuse to share the tent with them.
I’ve had gay Scouts(although they were closeted). I never saw any inclination towards wanting to have sex with the other boys. It’s a little too open for intimacy. Gay kids tend to be preyed upon by older men so they don’t have time for kids. Scouting was their “normal” time, their chance to be with men who weren’t perverts.
AP, there's two sides to this:
On the one hand, BSA Youth Protection policies say, "Buddies should know and be comfortable with each other...No youth should be forced into or made to feel uncomfortable by a buddy assignment."
Source: http://www.scouting.org/Training/YouthProtection.aspx
That sounds all nice & sensitive, right?
But earlier in the same graph, we see:
"The Buddy System SHOULD be used at all times. The Buddy System is a safety measure for all Scouting activities."
IoW, somebody HAS to "buddy up" with an openly gay Boy Scout. (Otherwise that word "should" is meaningless)
So, there ya go. Boy Scouts of America policies allow for 17 yo, 11-month BS to go on overnight outings and "buddy up" with 15 yo.
(And, of course, nobody talks about what BSA is "setting up" when two openly gay 17 yo hook up/buddy up in a tent)
(So much for BSA "safety" measures...perhaps their next "safety measure" is to start providing condoms in tents)
Ha ha ha ha, yeah right. Now he'd get kicked out for being a "hater."