This week, the executive board of the Boy Scouts of America will reconsider the organization’s policy of barring gay Scouts and leaders. As a result of this proposed change, many conservatives are urging the group to maintain its discrimination.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) has written extensively about how the Boy Scouts affected his life, and he reiterated those thoughts to hundreds of Texas Scouts who gathered in the state House of Representatives on Saturday for their annual Report to State. Speaking to reporters afterward, Perry defended the discriminatory policy:

PERRY: Hopefully the board will follow their historic position of keeping the Scouts strongly supportive of the values that make Scouting this very important and impactful organization. I think most people see absolutely no reason to change the position and neither do I… To have popular culture impact 100 years of their standards is inappropriate.

Perry also disagreed that a change would make the Scouts more tolerant, claiming, “I think you get tolerance and diversity every day in Scouting.”

Fellow former presidential hopeful Rick Santorum has offered a similar screed against the proposed change in the Scouts’ policy, suggesting the board’s vote this week is “a challenge to the Scouts’ very nature” that will cause a “mass exodus,” “leaving the Scouts hollowed at its core.” Indeed, a whole coalition of anti-gay hate groups is calling on the Scouts’ to maintain the policy because of the false assumption that all homosexuals are pedophiles.

Over the weekend, President Obama disavowed all of these claims in a pre-Super Bowl interview, saying that the Scouts should drop the policy because “gays and lesbians should have access and opportunity the same way everybody else does in every institution and walk of life.” Obama has previously condemned the policy because he “opposes discrimination in all forms.”

On Tuesday night’s The Daily Show, Jon Stewart dedicated a segment to a few advances in cultural acceptance for gays and lesbians, notably the potential that the Boy Scouts will soon change their anti-gay policy and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo’s plan to use the Super Bowl spotlight to advocate for marriage equality. Stewart suggests the gay rights movement is beginning to “enter ares of national life previously thought closed off” and calls out opponents of equality like Frank S. Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, for claiming to be “respectful” in their condemnation.

Watch it:

Conservatives did not take kindly to Monday’s news that the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) will consider lifting its national ban on gay scouts and scout leaders next week. Unsurprisingly, they immediately began drawing correlations between homosexuality and pedophilia.

The Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins called the potential move “devastating” and suggested it would undercut the “well-being of the Scouts.” The Liberty Counsel’s Matt Barber ranted on Twitter that “No caring father will leave his son in the Boy Scouts if they cave on perversion.” And outdoing his peers at the other anti-gay hate groups, the American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer penned a lengthy screed claiming that Jerry Sandusky, the Penn State University football coach convicted of child molestation, is “the new poster boy for Scouting“:

If the Scouts do not reverse themselves, we will soon be reading the kind of horror stories about Scouting that we have read about in the Catholic Church. Homosexual pedophiles already seek to infiltrate scouting because it provides a target rich environment for their twisted desires. Abolishing the sexual orientation standard will turn every Boy Scout in America into vulnerable prey for the sexually deviant.

And while the Church had resources that enabled it to weather the storm, the Scouts do not. The Scouts as an organization will wither and die, winding up as a dessicated shell of its former self if it exists at all.

There are three serious flaws with this argument. First, and most importantly, there is absolutely nothing that links a same-sex orientation to the disorder of pedophilia. And because sexual orientation is such an unreliable predictor for pedophilia, the BSA has significantly struggled to protect scouts from sexual abuse even with a ban on openly gay scout leaders, so if that’s its purpose, it’s not working anyway. Lastly, this argument only addresses the policy’s impact on gay male scout leaders; lesbian women like Jen Tyrrell who support the organization and the many scouts who may be coming out don’t factor in at all.

News stories like this reveal the raw candor of what those who oppose LGBT equality actually believe. Perkins, Barber, Fischer, and others are all servants to decades-old defamatory myths that bear no reflection on reality.

Days after forcing a Cub Scout pack to drop a non-discrimination policy that included sexual orientation — and just six months after a full-throated reaffirmation of the policy — the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) board is apparently considering dropping its nationwide policy of discrimination.

Deron Smith, national spokesman for the BSA told ThinkProgress that the national board will make any decision, “at the appropriate time,” but confirmed that they “anticipate discussion on the matter at the National Executive Board at the next regularly scheduled board meeting the week of Feb. 4.” The board’s meetings are not open to the public or press.

Smith’s initial statement on the potential U-turn, first reported by NBC News, stated:

Scouting has always been in an ongoing dialogue with the Scouting family to determine what is in the best interest of the organization and the young people we serve. Currently, the BSA is discussing potentially removing the national membership restriction regarding sexual orientation. This would mean there would no longer be any national policy regarding sexual orientation, and the chartered organizations that oversee and deliver Scouting would accept membership and select leaders consistent with each organization’s mission, principles, or religious beliefs. BSA members and parents would be able to choose a local unit that best meets the needs of their families.

The policy change under discussion would allow the religious, civic, or educational organizations that oversee and deliver Scouting to determine how to address this issue. The Boy Scouts would not, under any circumstances, dictate a position to units, members, or parents. Under this proposed policy, the BSA would not require any chartered organization to act in ways inconsistent with that organization’s mission, principles, or religious beliefs.

Eagle Scout Zach Wahls, founder of Scouts for Equality, told ThinkProgress that such a change would be “an incredible step forward in the right direction.”

But it remains to be seen whether consideration will mean action. Last June, the Associated Press reported that the organization had agreed to consider such a change in 2013, but weeks later the BSA announced it had ended its consideration and that a secret committee had unanimously decided to keep the ban in place.

Over the past year, openly lesbian mom Jen Tyrrell was ousted from her position as Cub Scout Den Leader, 17-year-old Eric Jones was fired from his job at a Scout Camp for being gay, and openly gay Scout Ryan Andresen was denied his Eagle Scout award for his “avowed homosexuality.”

In their 2012 presidential campaign, both former BSA national board member Mitt Romney and honorary BSA president Barack Obama agreed that BSA should end its policy of discrimination.

A small, Maryland-based chapter of the Boy Scouts of America was forced to take down a statement from their website promising inclusivity and welcoming LGBT scouts and their families after their regional superiors threatened to pull the group’s formal affiliation with the national organization.

Members of Pack 442 voted several months ago to approve a new nondiscrimination clause that included protections for the LGBT community in addition to race, religion, national origin and ability.

The National Capital Area Council, a regional outpost of BSA leadership, spoke with Mother Jones about the pack’s decision:

Les Baron, CEO and Scout Executive of NCAC, confirms to Mother Jones that if the pack doesn’t erase the declaration, “they will not be recognized as an organization, although that’s our last resort.” That means that the troop will lose access to member insurance, rank badges, and scout camps. The only problem with the statement, Baron acknowledges, is the reference to sexual orientation. “That’s a message that’s against our policy, and we don’t want it continue to be out in our community,” Baron says.

In response to the NCAC’s threat, hundreds of supporters signed a petition on Change.org calling on the NCAC to stand up for Pack 442 and reject the national organization’s intolerance. For its part, Pack 442 complied with the NCAC’s demand to remove their policy from the group’s website, and NCAC is not revoking their charter. But the pack’s committee chair Theresa Phillips said they would continue to welcome LGBT scouts and families, saying “I asked for my name to removed from the charter because I feel like if gay/lesbian individuals are not worthy of being registered leaders, then I am not either.”

Over the weekend, Pack 442 posted a statement on their website where their non-discrimination policy was once displayed:

Due to pressure from the National Capital Area Council of BSA, Pack 442 was forced to remove its Non-Discrimination statement in order to keep our Charter (set to expire Jan 31st). This Non-Discrimination statement, previously posted here, welcomed ALL families.

The Boy Scouts of America reaffirmed their longstanding, institutionalized homophobia last summer when they upheld their ban on LGBT scouts and family members. In the months since, several of the organization’s biggest financial backers have ended their relationship with the group, citing their anti-LGBT policy.

Last July, a 22-year-old Eagle Scout named Tim Griffin was fired from his position on the staff at Camp Winton, where he’d worked for eight years, because he was gay. Officials from the Boy Scouts of America claimed it was because of his appearance and mannerisms, but other staff at the camp confirmed it was because of his sexual orientation. That, along with numerous other manifestations of the BSA’s anti-gay policy this year, prompted Derek Nance to come out as well.

Nance is also an Eagle Scout who has worked as a program director at Mataguay Scout Ranch in Southern California for 10 years. In a video posted on YouTube on Thursday, he explains that he couldn’t bear to keep his secret from his camp family any longer:

NANCE: I am gay… I live with camp friends, I attend school with camp friends, and I go out drinking at night with camp friends, and yet I’ve had to keep part of my life secret from them. The little things are the most frustrating. For instance, I can’t giggle when a boy texts me while I’m at camp. I can’t comment on how cute an actor looked in a movie we went and saw that weekend. And I can’t share with them the emotional roller coaster everyone feels while they fall in and out of love. I’m open to all my friends and family in “real life,” but to the people I truly feel closest to, I’ve had to remain distant.

Which is why I’ve chosen this moment to open up to them, and to every other staff member of the Boy Scouts of America who is in the same position I am in. The only way we will change the Boy Scouts’ discriminatory policies is if those of us who are on the front lines representing them to thousands of scouts every single summer start engaging in some open dialogue on this issue. Lawsuits from the ACLU or “confidential reviews” by the Boy Scouts are not going to change policies. The first step to coming to an agreement on this issue is to drop the old pretenses and stereotypes and to start actually talking.

Watch Nance’s courageous video:

Nance joins a growing coalition standing up against the antiquated policy. Every instance in which the Boy Scouts maintains that it is better off without gay scouts and leaders further demonstrates how pointless the discrimination truly is.

Yesterday, many outlets (including ThinkProgress) celebrated the news that a California Boy Scouts of America (BSA) chapter was recommending Ryan Andresen for an Eagle Scout Award, even though his scoutmaster refused to sign off on his application because he is gay. The chair of the review board that unanimously approved his recommendation, Bonnie Hazarabedian, said he deserved the honor and that it was her understanding his application was proceeding up the BSA ranks for further approval. Now it seems that Hazarabedian was led astray and Andresen’s application is going nowhere.

John Fenoglio, Scout executive for the Mount Diablo-Silverado Boy Scout Council, said Andresen’s application was rejected because of “membership standards,” specifically “duty to God, avowed homosexuality, and the fact that he is now over 18 years of age.” But Hazarabedian says that when she submitted Andresen’s application, Fenoglio told her it would be approved and forwarded to the national council:

HAZARABEDIAN: Our community is standing behind Ryan Andresen. When I dropped off Ryan’s unanimously approved Eagle Board of Review application and report on December 31, Mr. Fenoglio looked me in the eyes, patted the stack of papers, and said, ‘We’ll sign it and send it on, but can’t promise what will happen from there.’ I’m totally perplexed by this statement from Scout Executive Fenoglio, a man I greatly respect and admire.

Fenoglio has not issued any follow-up statements to address the conflicting stories. Boy Scout national spokesman Deron Smith’s explanation seems to coincide with Fenoglio’s, but offers little clarity:

SMITH: The Eagle application was forwarded, by a volunteer, to the local council but it was not approved because this young man proactively stated that he does not agree to Scouting’s principle of ‘Duty to God’ and does not meet Scouting’s membership requirements. Therefore, he is not eligible to receive the rank of Eagle.

Smith and Fenoglio’s statements are disappointing, but also revealing. It is no secret that the BSA has defended its anti-gay policy on religious grounds, but the organization has generally refused to offer details explaining the rationale for such a policy. Last summer, BSA recommitted to its anti-gay policy, hiding the reasons for it behind a secret committee. Conservatives like Bryan Fischer, Mike Huckabee, the Liberty Counsel, and the Family Research Council have all claimed the policy somehow protects children from pedophiles, despite there being no connection between homosexuality and pedophilia.

But Smith and Fenoglio’s statements reveal that the Boy Scouts actually believe that an individual cannot be both gay and religious. Though the only religious group BSA does not accept is atheists, there is an apparent expectation that only heterosexuals can honor a “duty to God.” This is a significantly harmful judgment BSA is making not just of gay Scouts, but of LGBT people of faith everywhere.

Over 460,000 have signed a Change.org petition calling on the BSA to allow Andresen to receive the rank he’s earned after 12 years in the Boy Scouts. For his Eagle Scout project, he worked with elementary school students to create a “Tolerance Wall” designed to help victims of bullying know they are not alone.

Though 18-year-old Ryan Andresen had completed all of the necessary requirements for his Eagle Scout badge, but his Scoutmaster refused to sign his application for the award because he was gay in violation of the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) policies. Andresen and his family took his story to the media, garnering over 460,000 signatures on a Change.org petition and an honorary recognition from the California State Assembly. The Andresens circumvented the hierarchy, and now the Mt. Diablo-Silverado Council is set to challenge the national policy on Ryan’s behalf.

Bonnie Hazarabedian chaired the review board that signed off on Ryan’s application and forwarded its recommendation to national headquarters last week. She believes he deserves the award because the anti-gay policy is “something out of the Dark Ages”:

HAZARABEDIAN: I don’t think sexual orientation should enter into why a Scout is a Scout, or whether they are Eagle material. We felt without a doubt he deserved that rank.

Though the BSA has not replied to questions about his application, spokesman Deron Smith said in October that Andresen’s membership with the organization had been revoked. The Andresens are celebrating the recognition of his accomplishments, but it’s still up to the BSA to determine Ryan’s fate.

The charitable foundation for pharmaceutical company Merck is the latest corporate leader to suspend financial support for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) over the organization’s anti-gay policies. The Merck Foundation’s Brian Gill explains that BSA’s refusal to allow gay scouts does not align with the company’s nondiscrimination guidelines:

The Merck Foundation believes that it is critical to honor and support a foundational policy of diversity and inclusion in all funding decisions. Recently, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) restated its policy that excludes members on the basis of sexual orientation. The BSA’s policy of exclusion directly conflicts with the Merck Foundation’s giving guidelines. On that basis the Merck Foundation has decided to suspend funding to the BSA. The decision to suspend support applies to direct funding from the Merck Foundation, the matching of gifts from Merck employees, and paid time off for volunteering.

The Foundation has supported the BSA for many years and we continue to herald the fine work that the BSA has done in communities throughout the country. We know that many of you have personally contributed to the BSA and that this decision may be upsetting to some of you. However, we cannot continue to provide support to an organization with a policy that is contrary to one of our core beliefs. We remain ready and willing to re-consider our funding position in the event that the BSA were to revise its policy.

Gill notes that Merck will be assessing its other giving to ensure that no other charitable recipients have similar conflicting policies. The company had given $30,000 to Boy Scout entities in 2011.

Merck joins Intel and UPS in withholding support from the Scouts until they update their policies. Scouts for Equality founder Zach Wahls is also currently petitioning Verizon to do the same.