August 8, 2012 by David K. Sutton
Obama, Romney in rare agreement: Boy Scouts should end gay discrimination
In July the Boy Scouts of America created a stir – and prompted an Eagle Scout to return his badge – when they reaffirmed their ban on gays.
When Mitt Romney ran for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts in 1994 (against Ted Kennedy) he said, “I support the right of the Boy Scouts of America to decide what it wants to do on that issue. I feel that all people should be able to participate in the Boy Scouts regardless of their sexual orientation.” The way he worded that statement didn’t exactly qualify him as a gay rights advocate, but he did make it clear that he supported equality.
Fast-forward to Tuesday and Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul confirmed via email to the Associated Press that Romney’s position on this issue is the same today as it was in 1994. Interestingly, President Obama has said nothing about this issue, that is until today when White House spokesman Shin Inouye said, “The President believes the Boy Scouts is a valuable organization that has helped educate and build character in American boys for more than a century. He also opposes discrimination in all forms, and as such opposes this policy that discriminates on basis of sexual orientation.”
So both presidential candidates oppose the Boy Scouts of America’s ban on gays. This leaves the BSA and supporters of discrimination as the only remaining holdouts.
