As Boy Scout board member, Mitt supports, then abandons allowing openly gay men to serve as Boy Scout leaders

As a board member of the Boy Scouts of America, Mitt hinted that gay scout leaders should be allowed to participate openly. That clashed with leadership — but not with enough conviction or courage to make it count. When pressed if he was going against Boy Scouts of America policy and disagreeing as a board member, Romney lost his nerve with a non-answer.

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According to the Boston Globe, “A Boy Scout spokesman said the Republican candidate may have run afoul of the group’s strict rule that board members support Boy Scout policies, including its ban on homosexuals. Asked about the policy in Tuesday’s debate, Romney said, ‘I support the right of the Boy Scouts of America to decide what it wants to do on that issue.’ But he then added, ‘I feel that all people should be allowed to participate in the Boy Scouts regardless of their sexual orientation.’ ‘From where I’m sitting, that doesn’t appear to be a consistent statement,’ said Richard Walker, the Boy Scouts’ national spokesman. ‘His second statement seems to be inconsistent with our policy and as a member of the executive board he is expected to support our policy.’” [Boston Globe, 10/27/94]