Boy Scouts Membership Declines After Tumultuous Year

The Boy Scouts of America’s ranks shrank by 6 percent in 2013, a year that saw the organization decide to open its doors to openly gay youth over the objections of some church-affiliated chapters, the Associated Press reports.

National Scouts spokesman Deron Smith said the drop could be partially attributed to the policy shift enacted in May by the nonprofit youth group’s national leadership, but that “many factors … go into a family’s decision to join Scouting.” Membership has been in a slow but steady decline for a decade and dropped 4 percent in 2012.

The reversal of the longstanding gay ban, which took effect on Jan. 1, prompted some churches to withdraw support from the Scouts and join an alternative youth organization, Trail Life, established by Christian and conservative groups. The Scouts maintained its prohibition on openly gay adults serving as troop leaders.