Boy Scouts of America growing one year after allowing gay leaders

One year ago, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) made a major policy change allowing gay men to become troop leaders. The move initially caused concern about the longevity of the organization. Many of the BSA’s largest supporters were religious organizations like the Catholic, LDS, and Baptist churches which expressed concerns about the rule change. One year after the policy change went into effect, the Boy Scouts continues to grow like it has for the past 20 years.

“I told people my opinion that there would be no impact on scouting in the Grand Teton Council by that decision,” said Clarke Farrer, the Scout executive for the Grand Teton Council in Idaho Falls. “A year later, I think that proves to be true.”

Farrer said they’ve continued to see growth across his region which includes most of eastern Idaho and into parts of Montana and Wyoming. “We actually had one of our highest membership growth rates last year,” said Farrer. “That’s after 20 years of continuous growth in our area.”

The Grand Teton Council said with the growth, they plan on introducing more scouting options to the region to give parents and young people the chance to participate. Some of those soon-to-be launched programs include Lion scouts for 6-year-old boys, an Explorer program that focuses on high school age teens, and even a few co-ed varsity groups for guys and girls over the age of 14.

“We’re teaching citizenship, personal fitness, character building,” said Farrer. “That’s what we’re about, and it’s what our focus is.”