Boy Scouts revoke charter for Seattle troop over gay scoutmaster

A Boy Scout troop in Seattle announced on Monday that its charter was revoked after its church sponsor refused to fire the troop’s scout leader because of his sexual orientation.

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) withdrew the membership of Scoutmaster Geoff McGrath, 49, in March after he revealed to an NBC News reporter that he was gay.

McGrath was widely thought to be the first openly gay scout leader after the organization voted last year to allow gay youths as of Jan. 1 but not allow gay adults to lead troops.

The Rainier Beach United Methodist Church received a letter from the BSA on Friday stating that its charter had been revoked, and an attorney from the organization told the church it could no longer host any troops under the Boy Scouts name.

“Because the church no longer agrees to the terms of the BSA chartered organization agreement, which includes following BSA policies, it is no longer authorized to offer the scouting program,” the BSA said in a statement sent to Al Jazeera.

The statement said the BSA was “saddened by this development, but remain[s] committed to providing all youth with the best possible scouting experience where the scouting program is the main focus.”

The church stood by McGrath, a Seattle software engineer and Eagle Scout, after his membership in the organization was revoked last month, setting up a standoff between the church and one of the country’s most popular youth organizations.

"As a Reconciling congregation, it's important to us that we are open to all people," said the Rev. Monica Corsaro of Rainier Beach United Methodist. The church supports McGrath because his work reflects its spirit and values.

The BSA told McGrath in a March letter that it had “no choice” but to revoke his registration after he said he was gay while being profiled by NBC News.

BSA officials said McGrath violated the group’s leadership criteria. The organization also said he “deliberately injected his sexuality” into the scouting program when he made statements to the media and the organization about his sexual orientation.

After McGrath’s interview with NBC, the BSA issued a statement that said the organization “does not proactively inquire about the sexual orientation of our members” and that it “doesn’t believe sexual orientation has a role in scouting and is not discussed unless it is directly injected into scouting.”

According to the group Scouts for Equality, a BSA alumni organization that seeks to end the BSA’s policy banning gay adults, parents of scouts at McGrath’s Troop 98 received a letter last week saying that the troop’s charter had been revoked and that another troop had already been identified for the kids to switch to.

But Zach Wahls, an Eagle Scout and the executive director of Scouts for Equality, said that moving the troop isn’t the right thing to do and that the very diverse area is underserved.

“There aren’t any units in this neighborhood, which is why it was started in the first place,” said Wahls. “These kids would not be in the program if this church had not created it, and ultimately by dissolving this unit the [BSA] is denying these kids access to the organization because of politics.”

Wahls also issued a statement that said the decision to revoke the troop’s charter called into question the BSA’s “commitment to leadership and values” and was “perpetuating an outmoded policy rooted in fear and discrimination.”

“History will show that today’s announcement is a self-inflicted wound,” the statement added.

Al Jazeera and The Associated Press