Boy Scouts in US delay decision on admitting gay members

Irving (US), Feb 6 (AP) The Boy Scouts of America (BSA)'s national executive board today delayed a decision on whether to lift its longstanding ban on gay scouts and leaders after intense pressure from several sides. The BSA said the organisation will instead take action on the resolution at its national meeting in May. The organisation had last week said it was considering allowing troops to decide whether to allow gay membership. It would be the latest step in the national debate over gay rights in the US, where some states allow gay marriage and the Supreme Court in March will consider questions over married gay couples' equal rights to federal benefits. President Barack Obama, who is Scouting's honorary president, has spoken in favour of admitting gay scouts. Others, including Texas Governor Rick Perry, an Eagle Scout, opposed a shift. Protesters on both sides rallied at BSA headquarters in Texas. Scout leaders across US will now have to decide how to handle a very delicate issue. "My attitude is that gays and lesbians should have access and opportunity the same way everybody else does in every institution and walk of life," Obama said in a interview Sunday with CBS. Perry, the author of the book "On My Honor: Why the American Values of the Boy Scouts Are Worth Fighting For," said in a speech Saturday that "to have popular culture impact 100 years of their standards is inappropriate". Two high-profile BSA board members � Ernst & Young CEO James Turley and AT&T Inc. CEO Randall Stephenson � run companies with nondiscrimination policies and have said they would work from within to change the Scouts' policy. Conservatives have warned of mass defections if Scouting allows gay membership to be determined by troops. Local and regional leaders, as well as the leadership of churches that sponsor troops, would be forced to consider their own policies. (AP) KKM KUN 02070134 NNNN