Number of Boy Scouts Down by 200,000 in 2014 - East Idaho News
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Number of Boy Scouts Down by 200,000 in 2014

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getty 012115 boyscouts?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1421844790892iStock Editorial/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — It may or may not be coincidental but membership in the Boy Scouts of America tailed off by nearly 7.5 percent in 2014, the first year that the organization allowed openly gay boys to join up.

Overall, there were 2.4 million Scouts last year, compared to 2.6 million in 2013.

The decision by the Boy Scouts to accept gays was met with protests by some within the group who felt it went against the core values of the 105-year-old program.

As a result, many adults and children left the Scouts in 2014 to form Trail Life USA, which is predicated on Christian values. As of this month, membership was around 20,000.

The Boy Scouts of America explained that the declining numbers were partially due to “the limited amount of discretionary time of parents and kids.”


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