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 It is likely the first time the national organization has severed
ties with a scout troop since a landmark vote last year allowed gay
scouts but kept a ban on gay adult leaders.
The decision to revoke the Rainier Beach United Methodist Church's
charter comes as the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) faces pressure from
social conservatives over the rule change, as well as from gay
rights groups who say it did not go far enough.
"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,"
said Boy Scouts spokesman Deron Smith in a statement. "We are
saddened by this development."
The BSA last month revoked the membership of Geoffrey McGrath, a gay
scout leader of Troop 98 in Seattle, after he openly stated his
sexual orientation in a news interview that discussed his group. The
recently formed troop was sponsored by the Rainier Beach church.
The revoked charter prevents the group from the neighborhood in
south Seattle from using the BSA's uniforms and logos.
The church plans to offer a replacement program, said McGrath, who
became an Eagle Scout in the 1980s.
"Our primary task is to make sure that the youth program at the
church continues without missing a beat," McGrath told Reuters.
"We'll have to make minor adjustments to avoid copyright
infringement."
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Reverend Monica Corsaro of the church told NBC News that the Boy
Scouts' action conflicts with her congregation's values of
non-discrimination.
"Breaking us up like this seems to go against everything the Boy
Scouts is about," Corsaro told NBC.
The Boy Scouts said they have identified a new charter organization
for the church-affiliated troop.
Following its decision to admit gay youth, the BSA has seen
religious groups and leaders sever ties and a conservative group say
it would form a rival alternative. It has also faced accusations of
failing to protect children from sexual abuse by adult volunteers.
The BSA did not immediately say whether it had revoked other
charters.
(Reporting by Jonathan Kaminsky in Olympia, Wash.;
editing by Eric
M. Johnson and Catherine Evans)
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