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At least one Girl Scout Troop in Salt Lake City is now accepting boys. The troop meets every Monday at the Utah Pride Center and is open to boys who identify as girls. Their first meeting yesterday included five girls between the ages of six and ten, but no boys yet. Shiela Raboy with the Pride Center says she’s proud to host the first Girl Scout Troop in Utah that welcomes anyone grappling with gender identity.

The Boy Scouts' New York chapter said Thursday that it has hired the nation's first openly gay Eagle Scout as a summer camp leader, which is in public contrast to the national scouting organization's ban on openly gay adult members.

The New York chapter of the Boy Scouts of America has made history by hiring an openly gay adult — and telling bigotry to take a hike. They have hired a gutsy 18-year-old Eagle Scout named Pascal Tessier to work as a camp counselor this summer at the Ten Mile River Scout Camp in upstate New York. And nobody is prouder than his mom. “I am,” said Tracie Felker, who lives in Hagerstown, Md., when asked about her boundary-breaking boy. “It’s not a brave thing he is doing,” she added. “It’s something necessary, something that needs to be done.” Legal...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and The Boy Scouts of America are facing a lawsuit from a former Boy Scout who over alleged sexual abuse at a church-sponsored Scouting trip.

The California Supreme Court has instituted a policy that prohibits state judges from participating in the Boy Scouts of America because it doesn't allow openly gay adults to become troop leaders. Earlier this year the court voted unanimously to change the California Code of Judicial Ethics, removing an exemption allowing membership in youth organizations, such as the Boy Scouts, that it claims practice discrimination. While the Boy Scouts voted in 2013 to lift its ban on openly gay youth members, it maintained its policy prohibiting openly gay adults from actively participating in troop activities or becoming troop leaders. The Christian...

February 5, 2015 (BreakPoint.org) -- In late January, the Supreme Court of California ruled that, starting January 21, 2016, judges in that state can no longer be affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America.I’m not sure what troubles me most about this story: the ruling itself or the lack of attention being paid to it.California is one of 47 states that bans its judges from belonging to organizations that discriminate against certain groups of people. In more than half of these instances, we are talking about discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, or sex.In the twenty-two states...

Parents are outraged after a pack of California Cub Scouts on a nature hike ended up on a nude beach. The group of fourth graders, parents and volunteers was hiking along the San Diego coastline on Jan. 24 when they stumbled upon dozens of naked people at the clothing optional Black's Beach. One of the scouts' mothers said, "I was nauseated because I had never seen a bunch of nude people just walking around holding hands, strange people that I don't know."

A San Diego Cub Scout troop got a lesson in human anatomy on a recent outing with their troop leader — and some parents are upset. Diane and Erik Lekven are outraged that a hike on Jan. 24 ended up at a nude beach.

The Boy Scouts of America settled a sex abuse case Thursday involving a 20-year-old California man who was molested by a Scout volunteer in 2007 — a decision that will keep years’ worth of “perversion” files detailing sex abuse allegations secret from the public. The announcement of the settlement in the Santa Barbara case came after three days of trial. The terms were confidential at the Boy Scouts’ request, said Tim Hale, the plaintiff’s attorney. “I can’t go into details about the number, but it was a great result,” Hale said. Hale had won the right to use the “perversion”...

California judges will no longer be allowed to participate in nonprofit youth groups, such as the Boy Scouts of America, that discriminate against LGBT people. At the same time the justices lifted a ban on judges belonging to a military organization now that gays and lesbians can serve openly in the U.S. Armed Services. The change comes as transgender individuals are still barred from becoming service members, though the policy is reportedly under review. In the case of the scouting group, although it now allows out youth to belong, it continues to ban LGBT adults from serving as troop leaders.

DALLAS (Reuters) - Membership in the Boy Scouts of America took a steeper tumble during 2014, the first year under a policy that allows openly gay youth to participate, than in recent years of a decade-long decline. About 2.4 million youth participated in the nearly 105-year-old Texas-based scouting program, representing a 7.4 percent decline over 2013 enrollment of 2.6 million youth, Boy Scout officials said in a statement on Friday. Enrollment declined by about 6 percent in 2013. BSA officials said that decreasing participation is a trend that most youth organizations are facing. "There are many factors that go into...

Noah Cornuet was a gentle giant and the ultimate Boy Scout. He was so committed to scouting that he was determined to ascend to the highest rank any Boy Scout could achieve: Eagle Scout. Noah, 16, never realized his dream. On Aug. 6, the high school athlete from Lower Burrell, Pa., collapsed after football practice and died. It was later revealed that Noah had a rare heart tumor. He’d had no symptoms and there was no indication that he had a heart condition, his family said. At the time of his death, Noah was deeply involved in his Eagle scout...

PARK CITY — A teacher at Parley's Park Elementary and area Boy Scout leader is accused of possessing child pornography. Jose Maria Ardanaz Ezcurdia, 31, was charged Monday in Summit County's 3rd District Court with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.

LYCOMING COUNTY— Matthew Manning, 38, of Hughesville is accused of having and disseminating child porn. He was arrested Thursday. Manning is a science teacher at Muncy Junior/Senior High School in Lycoming County. “Very uncomfortable, considering I just had him, like a month ago in school and he was teaching these kids. I think he had a 7th grade class and anyone under 17, just to hear it is weird,” said Muncy High School senior Maurice Brown. Parents with students in the district were concerned by the news, too. “You know you see people every day and you just never know...

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday that the Irving-based Boy Scouts of America perpetuates “the worst stereotypes” by barring gay people from becoming Scout leaders. “The continuation of a policy that discriminates against gay adult leaders — by an iconic American institution — only preserves and perpetuates the worst kind of stereotypes,” Holder said in a speech to the gay civil rights group Lambda Legal in Washington. Holder did not announce any legal action against the Boy Scouts. A Supreme Court decision 14 years ago said the Scouts, as a private entity, had a right to discriminate against...

IRVING, TX, May 27, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who led the military to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell, says that he would have allowed homosexual leaders for Boy Scouts of America. Gates, who was elected to head the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) for a two-year term last week, said that he "would have supported having gay Scoutmasters, but at the same time, I fully accept the decision that was democratically arrived at by 1,500 volunteers from across the entire country." A year ago, BSA allowed openly homosexual scouts for the first time. The policy reads...

Millions this weekend celebrated the unofficial start of summer honoring those who gave their lives in war, and Memorial Day transcended generations at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. That’s where Joseph Brunson, 7, bypassed barbecues and swimming pools and took time out of his weekend to place flowers on the graves of our fallen heroes. The nonprofit group “Remember Heroes” places floral arrangements at the grave sites of local war dead each year. Joseph heard about a volunteer project at his Cub Scout meeting. The boy told the CBS Dallas affiliate that he wanted to volunteer his time alongside his...

Robert Gates as selected as the new president of the Boy Scouts of America. Robert, an Eagle Scout in his youth and former Secretary of Defense, was elated with the selection. Robert stated that he was pleased that queers were welcomed in the boy scouts but was severely displeased that adult predatory queers were not allowed to serve as scout masters and leaders. During his tenure as Secretary of Defense, Robert has queerified the military which he counted as one of his major accomplishments which he would like to replicate with the Boy Scouts. Robert noted that with many predatory...

This is an excerpt of Dr. Gates' 26 page, 27 minute speech in which he speaks to the membership issue. 20 … FINALLY, LET ME ADDRESS THE MEMBERSHIP ISSUE, AN ISSUE THAT HAS LEFT US DIVIDED, DISTRACTED AND DEFENSIVE. A YEAR AGO, THIS MEETING SAW A RESPECTFUL AND CIVIL DEBATE OVER MEMBERSHIP POLICY. IN A DEMOCRATIC PROCESS, A STRONG MAJORITY OF THE VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP OF THIS MOVEMENT FROM ALL ACROSS THE NATION VOTED TO WELCOME GAY YOUTH INTO SCOUTING. IN ALL CANDOR, I WOULD HAVE 21 SUPPORTED GOING FURTHER, AS I DID IN OPENING THE WAY FOR GAYS TO SERVE...

DALLAS (Reuters) - As former Defense Secretary Robert Gates is set to head the Boy Scouts of America, many are wondering if the official who helped end the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy will also lift the scout's ban on gay adult leaders. The century-old Texas-based organization kicked off its annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday as questions lingered over its decision last year to allow gay scouts in its ranks but bar them from adult leadership posts. Gates, a former CIA director, will succeed Boy Scouts President Wayne Perry, who led the group through the emotionally...