The Boy Scouts of America board was expected to vote on whether to lift their national ban on gay members yesterday, but they pushed the decision back to May during their annual meeting.
Gay rights supporters like Jennifer Tyrrell, who was a cub scout den leader in Ohio until the organization dismissed her for being a lesbian, will now have to wait another few months for what they hope will be a historic announcement.
Tyrrell discusses the Boy Scouts' decision on "Early Start" today, saying that while she's a bit disappointed by the organization's choice, "if they need a little time to make the right decision then that’s what they need to do."
"I feel very optimistic. It’s the first time they've not said no," Tyrell says. "I’m hopeful. I just have to hold onto that belief that they’re going to be on the right side of history and if we have to wait until May, then we have to wait until May."
Tyrell also responds to Family Research Council president Tony Perkins' comment on Starting Point yesterday, when he said that he wouldn't want to send his child on a camping trip with a homosexual man.
"I think that he has a twisted view of things," Tyrell says. "I think that adults of whichever sexual orientation are not typically attracted to children. So I don’t know why his mind keeps going there. He may want to look into that."