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Boy Scouts' President Calls Ban On Gay Adults "Unsustainable"

By David Spunt

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Boy Scouts of America President Robert Gates told a crowd in Atlanta on Thursday that the organization's policy of banning gay adults will likely need to change in the near future.

"We must deal with the world as it is, not as we might wish it would be," Gates told the crowd.

Gates said religious organizations should be free to make their own decisions regarding scouting; however other organizations may be subject to changes.

"Between internal challenges and potential legal conflicts, the BSA finds itself in an unsustainable position," Gates said.

Former Philadelphia scout Greg Lattera told Eyewitness News he was kicked out of the organization in 2003 because of his sexual orientation.

"(I) received a letter stating that I was no longer a valued representative of the community and I was asked to leave," he said.

Currently, the Boy Scouts of America permits gay scouts, but bans gay adults.

"I think it goes against everything the Boy Scouts of America stands for," Lattera told Eyewitness News.

Lattera was part of a lawsuit where he testified against the Boy Scouts. Eyewitness News reached out to the local Boy Scout chapter and several religious organizations to get reaction to Gates' comments at the Atlanta meeting. Our calls were not returned.

 

 

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