Boy Scouts Revokes Wash. Troop’s Charter over Gay Leader

The Seattle council of the Boy Scouts of America has pulled a local church’s charter to sponsor a Scout troop led by a gay man, The Seattle Times reports.

In a statement, the national youth group said Rainier Beach United Methodist Church “no longer agrees to the terms” of its agreement to host a troop. National spokesman Deron Smith said the Boy Scouts has “identified a new chartered organization” to sponsor the troop.

The church sought to retain Geoffrey McGrath as scoutmaster despite the Scouts policy adopted last year that allows gay youth but bars openly homosexual adults from leading troops. The Scouts revoked Mr. McGrath’s membership in March after he mentioned his sexual orientation in an NBC News report about his troop.

Rainier Beach United Methodist’s pastor, the Rev. Monica Corsaro, said the church hopes the Seattle council will reverse course when Robert Gates takes office next month as president of the national Boy Scouts. During his tenure as U.S. secretary of defense, Mr. Gates oversaw the end of the U.S. military’s ban on openly gay service members.