Ruling Lets Gay Ex-Scout Go Forward With Suit

A former Eagle Scout has won an important victory in Los Angeles Superior Court, where a judge ruled Wednesday that he may press forward with a suit against a Northern California Boy Scout council that barred him from being a troop leader because he is gay.

Judge Sally Disco found the Mt. Diablo Boy Scouts Council can be considered a business under California civil rights law, and as such does not have a right to discriminate against former scout Timothy Curran. Disco’s decision clears the way for Curran, 29, to proceed with the second phase of his suit. The case is being watched closely by both gay rights activists and the Boy Scout organization, which has a policy of not admitting homosexuals.