Protesters Object to Scouts’ Ban on Gays

Demonstrators were turned away from the national Boy Scouts of America headquarters in Irving, Texas, after presenting a 55,000-signature petition protesting the organization’s ban on gay troop leaders. Fewer than a dozen demonstrators, some wearing Boy Scout uniforms, were met by a security guard and not allowed past the front desk. Rallies against the Boy Scouts were planned in at least 36 cities and 21 states as part of a nationwide protest. The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in June that Boy Scouts can bar homosexuals from serving as troop leaders. The ruling may also permit the 6.2-million-member organization to reject gays as members.