Boy Scouts ban on gay leaders remains despite first 'out' Eagle Scout

An openly gay 17-year-old Boy Scout in Maryland has achieved the highest rank of Eagle Scout — the first since the organization lifted its ban on gay members.

After a vote last year, the organization of 2.5 million youth members officially opened its doors to include all boys, regardless of sexual orientation.

But the ban on gay adult leaders remains in place.

"On my 18th birthday, I'm planning on applying to be an adult leader for the Boy Scouts so that we push the issue," Pascal Tessier said.

Even though he had a supportive troop with its own all-inclusive policy, Tessier said he wanted to speak out about the Boy Scouts' national policy after seeing other gay scouts or leaders kicked out or denied the Eagle rank in recent years, including the high profile case of Ryan Andresen, a California teen.

For more than a year, Tessier, who lives in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Kensington, has been one of the most prominent openly gay scouts speaking out to change the Scouts' longstanding ban.

Tessier's brother, Lucien Tessier, who also is gay and an Eagle Scout, launched an online petition last year gathering 130,000 signatures on Change.org after a local Scout official said it would be impossible for Pascal Tessier to complete his Eagle rank if he is openly gay.

For Tessier less than a year later, it's "a huge sigh of relief" to finally have his Eagle badge approved by the Scouts' national headquarters in Irving, Texas.

"Even if I had been kicked out along the way, I wouldn't have changed anything," he said. "The whole experience was something worth having, not only for myself but also for all the other people involved — and for all the people it affects."

Boy Scouts spokesman Deron Smith said the organization remains focused on delivering a premiere program focused on character development and values-based leadership. There's been no mass exodus of members, as some opponents of the policy change predicted last year.

"The BSA has never inquired about the sexual preference of its members, employees or volunteers," he said. "We believe every child deserves the opportunity to be a part of the Scouting experience."

Since 1912, more than 2 million Scouts have earned the rank of Eagle. About 55,000 boys earn the honor each year.

Al Jazeera and wire services