Local Boy Scouts leader supports delaying vote on gay membership
BSA postpones vote until May
Reporter: Justin Schecker
TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - The National Executive Board for the Boy Scouts of America is now postponing its decision on whether to allow openly gay members.
"After careful consideration...the volunteer officers concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review," said part of the Boy Scouts official statement on pushing off the vote.
The head of the local chapter of the Boy Scouts told 9 On Your Side he supports the board delaying its vote until May.
'I think its good they spend some time talking about it and hear from all sides," said Ken Tucker, Executive Scout of the Catalina Council. "There's been a lot of opinion expressed and it came on kind of a sudden so I think its good they spend some time and talk about it and really look at it."
Nine on Your Side asked Tucker whether he thought there would be all the attention surrounding this issue.
"Yes, it's a very complex issue and people have a lot of emotions on both sides of it," he said. ''And its come up before in the past so its something the organizatIon has wrestled with for many years."
Tucker told 9 On Your Side the opinions of the more than 7 thousand members and their families here in Southern Arizona reflect the divided opinions nationwide.
''We're hearing comments from both sides of the issue and people are very strong in their opinions which shows us that they care deeply about scouting, which is good," Tucker said.
Tucker told 9 On Your Side he will continue asking members to weigh in, so he can share those thoughts with the national board that has the final say.
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