Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates Jr. will be BSA’s next President

Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates Jr. will be BSA’s next President

Scouts for Equality is proud to learn that former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates Jr. will be joining the BSA’s Executive Board as its President next May. Secretary Gates oversaw the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in 2010 and said at the time that, “Telling the truth is a pretty important value […] a policy that requires people to lie about themselves somehow seems to me fundamentally flawed.”

This past May, we saw a massive step forward in the BSA’s attitudes to young gay Scouts. Next May, when Secretary Gates takes his post, it looks like the BSA will be taking another, critical step forward.

UPDATE: During an interview on November 11, Secretary Gates was asked about the BSA’s policy change in May. He had this to say:

“I think that what you see towards admitting gay boys and young men is a step forward. I strongly support that move.”

He hedged his bets and said that, “My sense is that at this point, that’s probably as far as the volunteers are prepared to take this move, at least for the foreseeable future.”

It’s up to us move that needle.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/31/us-usa-scouts-gates-idUSBRE99U01720131031