The ridiculous ban preventing gay adults from leading Boy Scout groups could come to an end later this month following a unanimous vote last week by the group’s 17-member executive committee. The change will be effective immediately if its approved a meeting of the full 80-member executive board on July 27.

On Thursday, president of the Boy Scouts of America and former defense secretary Robert Gates called for the Scouts to reconsider its ban on gay adult leaders. “We must deal with the world as it is,” he said, “not as we might wish it to be.”

Today the Boy Scouts of America officially lifted its ban on openly gay youths. According to the BSA, "while people have different opinions about this policy, we can all agree that kids are better off when they are in Scouting." But don't get too excited: the ban on openly gay leaders will remain.

Just one week after the Boy Scouts of America excitedly announced the upcoming performances of Train and Carly Rae Jepsen at the 2013 National Scout Jamboree, both acts have announced their decision to drop out over the organization's ban on gays.

The Boy Scouts of America may be close to ending its long-standing policy banning gay scouts or scout leaders, according to NBC News. The rumors are swirling ahead of a meeting of the Boy Scouts' national board set for next week.

After a two-year-long court battle, records kept by the Boy Scouts of America on suspected child abusers have been released online. The records were kept from 1965 to 1985 and contain the names of men who were banned from volunteering with the Boy Scouts after they were accused of abusing the young men entrusted to them. The so-called "perversion files" also contain the names of men banned on suspicion of being gay.

Ryan Andresen was in "total shock" when his Scoutmaster informed him he would not be awarding him the rank of Eagle Scout — the Boy Scouts highest honor — because he was openly gay.

A Change.org petition signed by over 290,000 people has apparently persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to launch a review of its controversial Supreme Court-backed ban on openly gay troop leaders and scouts.

The case involving secret Boy Scouts "perversion files" will now move to punitive damages, after the group was ordered yesterday to pay an Oregon man $1.4 million for sexual abuse by a Scoutmaster in the 1980s. [AP, image]