A Boy Scouts troop in Seattle has found itself without a charter after refusing to fire its leader for being gay.
The BSA organisation last year decided it would accept of gay scout members, but not gay leaders, and since Eagle Scout Geoffrey McGrath, 49, is an openly gay leader, the charter church was ordered to remove him from his post.
Rev. Dr. Monica K. Corsaro, who’s pastor at the Rainier Beach United Methodist Church, said that although they were ordered to cease operating as a charter for the Boy Scouts, they will continue as a group to support the group leader. However, they will be unable to wear their uniforms or recite the Boy Scouts oath.
‘We’re going to stand firm,’ she told the New York Times. ‘Geoffrey attends our church and this is a way to support our youth in the neighborhood.’
The troop operates in a low-income neighbourhood and was recently featured in an article in which Mr. McGrath was interviewed and discussed his sexuality. He is married and works as a software engineer. His dismissal was ordered after the article came out.
The Boy Scouts of America said in a statement: ‘Because the church no longer agrees to the terms of the B.S.A.-chartered organisation agreement, which includes following B.S.A. policies, it is no longer authorised to offer the scouting program. We are saddened by this development.’
Picture: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.