SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – August 5, 2015 (Gephardt Daily) – LGBT rights group Restore Our Humanity is preparing an application for a charter to the Boy Scouts of America.
The decision follows a controversial statement by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when the BSA made the decision to allow gay scout leaders within its ranks on July 27.
Director Mark Lawrence said in a statement: “Restore Our Humanity is very pleased to announce that we are in the process of preparing an application for a charter to the Boy Scouts of America. As a community and civic based organization, we feel that Restore Our Humanity is a perfect fit to sponsor Utah’s first open, affirming, non-denominational and progressive scout troop under the new policies recently announced by the Boy Scouts of America during their recent National Business Meeting. With nearly 97 percent of scout troops in Utah being sponsored by the LDS Church, this highlights the significant percentage of the population of young people who are left behind and would benefit so much from this time honored and fundamental program.”
Restore Our Humanity is a Utah-based all volunteer non-profit whose mission is to advance human rights in Utah. Restore Our Humanity was the original backer of Kitchen v. Herbert, the lawsuit that brought marriage equality to Utah.
The BSA announced their decision to allow gay scout leaders within its ranks earlier this year, but it did not become official until late last month.
The LDS Church statement took the BSA to task for ignoring its request to delay the vote until after members of the church’s leadership were back in their offices sometime in August.
The LDS Church statement is as follows:
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is deeply troubled by today’s vote by the Boy Scouts of America National Executive Board. In spite of a request to delay the vote, it was scheduled at a time in July when members of the Church’s governing councils are out of their offices and do not meet. When the leadership of the Church resumes its regular schedule of meetings in August, the century-long association with Scouting will need to be examined. The Church has always welcomed all boys to its Scouting units regardless of sexual orientation. However, the admission of openly gay leaders is inconsistent with the doctrines of the Church and what have traditionally been the values of the Boy Scouts of America. As a global organization with members in 170 countries, the Church has long been evaluating the limitations that fully one-half of its youth face where Scouting is not available. Those worldwide needs combined with this vote by the BSA National Executive Board will be carefully reviewed by the leaders of the Church in the weeks ahead.”
