Allow all children in Boy Scouts

Louv said he told the BSA in advance that he would make his pitch. “I gave them the chance to back out,’’ he said. “I told them I couldn’t give the speech in good conscience without some mention of the issue. I said I would be concise, brief, and gentle and not beat them over the head. But I have to say something. To their credit, they said it was fine.’’

It would be finer still if Louv’s appearance were a sign of changes in the making. The Boy Scouts of America’s policies of not allowing openly gay members or girls full membership are more antiquated by the day, especially with the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell’’ in the military.

Officially, no change is imminent. In an e-mail statement yesterday, the BSA said the invitation to Louv “illustrates how people of different opinions can disagree on a variety of topics while agreeing to focus on common goals.’’ But while saying inclusion “continues to be discussed and debated,’’ the BSA said it “does not plan to change its policies.’’

The dawdling continues at a cost. BSA membership, 4.8 million in the 1970s, slipped last year to 2.7 million. It is difficult to see how much longer the Scouts can hold onto the past when open-minded youth and parents increasingly cross off from consideration organizations that openly discriminate. Last year alone, the number of Cub Scout leaders dropped nearly 6 percent (full disclosure: I am a Scout volunteer).

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Scouting Association enjoyed its biggest single-year increase in 38 years in 2009 with a comprehensive strategy of making outdoor activities cool again and saying clearly that scouting is for every child, including girls and gay youth. UK chief scout commissioner Wayne Bulpitt recently did a video for an anti-gay-bullying campaign.