Once again, the Boy Scouts of America is at the center of a debate about whether it should lift its ban on gay scouts and leaders.
In metro Atlanta, often seen as one of the most gay-friendly urban areas in the U.S., opinion on the issue is mixed.
In Southwest Atlanta, a longtime scout leader says his Christian faith will require him to give up Scouting, one of his life's passions, if the organization decides to open membership to gay people.
“I have to love them (gays) because that’s what the Word says, but I do not have to go along with the lifestyle.”
The Boy Scouts of America reaffirmed its policy of excluding gays last year after two years of reviewing the issue. In 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Scouts' right to exclude gays because it's a private organization.
However, many want the ban repealed.
A lesbian Christian minister in Candler Park believes said it's time for the ban to be lifted because it is “very discriminatory.”
A Buckhead businessman has returned his hard-earned Eagle Scout badges to the Boy Scouts to protest the the ban.
A gay grandfather in Virginia Highland said he doesn't want his grandchildren in the scouts until they drop the ban.
What do you think about the Boy Scouts' ban on gay scouts and leaders? Should the ban remain or be repealed? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
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