Boy Scouts Will Hire Convicts, But Not Gays

According to an employment application for the organization, "conviction of a crime" is not an automatic disqualifying factor, but being an "avowed homosexual" or atheist is.

The Boy Scouts of America will not hire "avowed homosexuals," but will consider employing convicted criminals, according to an employment application obtained by the Human Rights Campaign.

According to the employment application, in an "exercise of its constitutional right to bring the values of Scouting to its youth members, the Boy Scouts of America will not employ atheists, agnostics, known or avowed homosexuals, or others as professional Scouters…"

But the application also states, "conviction of a crime is not an automatic bar to employment," according to HRC.

"It's so rare these days to see such blatant discrimination written down on paper," writes HRC President Chad Griffin in a letter sent to HRC's supporters.

The BSA has come under intense criticism for its long-standing ban on gay Scouts or Scoutmasters, and after implying that the organization might reconsider its discriminatory position, earlier this month BSA leadership delayed that decision until a board meeting in May. More than 1.4 million signatures on a petition urging the BSA to repeal its ban were delivered to the BSA's headquarters on February 5, after den mother Jennifer Tyrrell was ousted for being a lesbian, and several corporate sponsors stepped away from the Scouts due to its discriminatory policy, including Intel and UPS.