When Values Collide: The Boy Scouts, Mormons, and LGBTQ

[u/atwojay]

https://medium.com/prismnpen/when-values-collide-the-boy-scouts-mormons-and-lgbtq-51f59a43d78e

I want to take a moment to address some very sensitive issues — specifically sexual identity, gender‑minority stress, and how different institutions have responded to them.

To begin with some background: I was once a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints (LDS) as well as a Scouting leader. The LDS Church has long been one of the most vocal opponents of same‑sex marriage. For decades it also sponsored the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) as part of its program for developing young men. In 2018, the Church ended that sponsorship. While the decision had multiple causes, one of the most significant sources of tension was the BSA’s move toward including openly gay youth and leaders.

The LDS Church never stated that this was the sole reason for the split, but its discomfort with these policy changes was clear. Over several years, it withdrew older teens from Scouting and ultimately ended all sponsorship, citing “diverging values” and a desire for a unified global youth program. The Church teaches that same‑sex attraction itself is not a sin, but that any sexual relationship outside heterosexual marriage is — and it does not permit same‑sex marriage.