The selection of former Defense Secretary Robert Gates to lead the Boy Scouts of America is an inspired choice that could – finally – see one of the country's most recognizable youth organizations embrace full equality for kids as well as adults.
The Scouts' national executive board selected Gates last week. If, as expected, he is approved by the organization's oversight council, Gates would succeed Wayne Perry as BSA national president in May.
The Boy Scouts are facing challenges to update its identity, and one of the most important will take place in January when a new policy, approved earlier this year, allows gay boys into scouting after years of bitter debate, lawsuits, and divisiveness. The Boy Scouts ban on gays serving as troop leaders, however, remains in place. This is where we believe Gates's experience leading the Pentagon can help the Scouts.
It was Gates, along with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, who was instrumental in overturning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the military's policy that prohibited gays and lesbians from serving openly in the armed forces. Gates publicly urged the lame-duck session of Congress to vote on repeal before Republicans took over the House following the November 2010 midterm elections. He also helped oversee the transition period before the law was formally repealed in September 2011. It's true that one of the main reasons Gates wanted Congress to act was that he feared a patchwork of court decisions on the constitutionality of DADT could cause widespread confusion in the military. But it's also true that he believed military operations would not be adversely affected by allowing gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals to serve openly.
Gates needs to bring that same determination to the Boy Scouts. The Scouts policy allowing gay boys to be members goes into effect January 1. By the time Gates assumes his post as president, it will have been in effect for several months and he can manage any fine-tuning that is needed. But Gates should also turn his attention to the adults who serve as troop leaders. And he can use the skills he brought to the DADT debate to persuade BSA that allowing gay men and lesbians to serve as troop leaders will benefit the organization.
We wrote earlier this year that while the Scouts policy change is a step in the right direction, it inherently sends a mixed message to gay youth, who will grow up to be openly gay men, and will be ordered to either leave scouting or go back into the closet if they want to continue participating in scouting. Neither of those options is acceptable.
And by the time next May rolls around, our society is going to be very different than it is even today in terms of gay rights. Last month New Jersey legalized same-sex marriage. This week, Illinois became the 15th state to do so. Marriage equality is on the move in Hawaii – where the same-sex marriage fight began nearly 20 years ago. That, after all, is what led to the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, which was largely ended in June when the U.S. Supreme Court threw out a key portion.
We suspect that the Boy Scouts' national leaders understand the changing times and the growing societal acceptance of gays and lesbians. And we think that in selecting Gates, they picked the right man to lead scouting into the future.