A Louisville Boy Scout leader says he was forced to resign after telling executives of the organization that he is gay. Greg Bourke, who has been a registered Scout volunteer for five years, told The Courier-Journal that he relinquished the role last week after the pastor at the church where his troop meets said the facility might lose its Scouting charter if he stayed.
A Boy Scouts policy enacted in 1991 and reaffirmed last month doesn't allow gays to join. Bourke said after the affirmation, he wrote to Boy Scout executives asking whether he was still welcome.
Barry G. Oxley II of the Boy Scouts' Lincoln Heritage Council said BSA does not "proactively inquire about the sexual orientation of members." Oxley said Bourke "proactively contacted BSA leadership" and "disclosed he did not meet Scouting's membership standards."