海角大神

罢丑别听叠辞测蝉听厂肠辞耻迟蝉听辞蹿 America is considering a dramatic retreat from its controversial policy of excluding gays as leaders and youth members.

Under the change now being discussed, the different religious and civic groups that sponsor聽Scout聽units would be able to decide for themselves how to address the issue 鈥� either maintaining an exclusion of gays or opening up their membership.

Monday's announcement of the possible change comes after years of protests over the policy 鈥� including petition campaigns that have prompted some corporations to suspend donations to theBoy聽Scouts.

Under the proposed change, said BSA spokesman Deron Smith, "the聽Boy聽Scouts聽would not, under any circumstances, dictate a position to units, members, or parents."

The聽Boys聽Scouts, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010, has long excluded both gays and atheists. Smith said a change in the policy toward atheists was not being considered, and that the BSA continued to view "Duty to God" as one of its basic principles.

Protests over the no-gays policy gained momentum in 2000, when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the BSA's right to exclude gays.聽Scout聽units lost sponsorships by public schools and other entities that adhered to nondiscrimination policies, and several local聽Scout聽councils made public their displeasure with the policy.

More recently, amid petition campaigns, shipping giant UPS Inc. and drug-manufacturer Merck announced that they were halting donations from their charitable foundations to the聽Boy聽Scouts聽as long as the no-gays policy was in force.

Also, local聽Scout聽officials drew widespread criticism in recent months for ousting Jennifer Tyrrell, a lesbian mom, as a den leader of her son's Cub聽Scout聽pack in Ohio and for refusing to approve an EagleScout聽application by Ryan Andresen, a California teen who came out as gay last fall.

"An end to this ban will restore dignity to countless families across the country, my own included, who simply wanted to take part in all聽scouting聽has to offer," Tyrrell said. "My family loved participating inscouting, and I look forward to the day when we might once again be able to take part."

Many of the protest campaigns, including one seeking Tyrrell's reinstatement, had been waged with help from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

"The聽Boy聽Scouts聽of America have heard from聽scouts, corporations and millions of Americans that discriminating against gay聽scouts聽and聽scout聽leaders is wrong," said Herndon Graddick, GLAAD's president. "Scouting聽is a valuable institution, and this change will only strengthen its core principles of fairness and respect."

The聽Scouts聽had reaffirmed the no-gays policy as recently as last year, and appeared to have strong backing from conservative religious denominations 鈥� notably the Mormons, Roman Catholics and Southern Baptists 鈥� which sponsor large numbers of聽Scout聽units. Under the proposed change, they could continue excluding gays.

Smith said the change could be announced as early as next Wednesday, after BSA's national board holds a regularly scheduled meeting.

Were the change adopted, he said, "there would no longer be any national policy regarding sexual orientation, and the chartered organizations that oversee and deliver聽Scouting聽would accept membership and select leaders consistent with each organization's mission, principles, or religious beliefs.

"BSA members and parents would be able to choose a local unit that best meets the needs of their families," he said. "Under this proposed policy, the BSA would not require any chartered organization to act in ways inconsistent with that organization's mission, principles, or religious beliefs."

The announcement came shortly after new data showed that membership in the Cub聽Scouts聽鈥� the BSA's biggest division 鈥� dropped sharply last year, and was down nearly 30 percent over the past 14 years.

According to figures provided by the organization, Cub聽Scout聽ranks dwindled by 3.4 percent, from 1,583,166 in 2011 to 1,528,673 in 2012. That's down from 2.17 million in 1998.

The聽Boy聽Scouts聽attribute the decline largely to broad social changes, including the allure of video games and the proliferation of youth sports leagues and other options for after-school activities.

However, critics of the聽Scouts聽suggest that its recruitment efforts have been hampered by high-profile controversies 鈥� notably the court-ordered release of files dealing with sex abuse allegations and persistent protests over the no-gays policy.

The BSA's overall "traditional youth membership" 鈥� Cub聽Scouts,聽Boy聽Scouts聽and Venturers 鈥� totaled 2,658,794 in 2012, compared to more than 4 million in peak years of the past. There were 910,668Boy聽Scouts聽last year, a tiny increase from 2011, while the ranks of Venturers 鈥� a program for youths 14 and older鈥� declined by 5.5 percent.

In addition to flak over the no-gays policy, the聽Scouts聽have been buffeted by multiple court cases related to past allegations of sexual abuse by聽Scout聽leaders, including those chronicled in long-confidential records that are widely known as the "perversion files."

Through various cases, the聽Scouts聽have been forced to reveal files dating from the 1960s to 1991. They detailed numerous cases where abuse claims were made and聽Boy聽Scout聽officials never alerted authorities and sometimes actively sought to protect the accused.

The聽Scouts聽are now under a California court order, affirmed this month by the state Supreme Court, to turn over sex-abuse files from 1991 through 2011 to the lawyers for a former聽Scout聽who claims a leader molested him in 2007, when he was 13. It's not clear how soon the files might become public.

The BSA has apologized for past lapses and cover-ups, and has stressed the steps taken to improve youth protection policy. Since 2010, for example, it has mandated that any suspected abuse be reported to police.