Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has
endorsed the Boy Scouts of America's (BSA) ban on gay adults.
Walker, who on Monday became the 15th
candidate vying for the Republican presidential nomination, said that
the ban “protected children.”
“I was an Eagle Scout. My kids have
been involved. Tonette [Walker] was a den mother,” Walker
said.
“I have had a lifelong commitment to
the Scouts and support the previous membership policy because it
protected children and advanced Scout values,” he added.
A proposal to allow gay adults to serve
as employees and troop leaders advanced this week with a unanimous
vote by the BSA's National Executive Committee.
(Related: Boy
Scouts of America committee approves resolution ending ban on gay
adults.)
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the
nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, called Walker's comments
“offensive.”
“Scott Walker's suggestion that the
Boy Scouts of America's current discriminatory policy somehow
'protects' children from gay adults is offensive, outrageous, and
absolutely unacceptable,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “His
comments imply that we represent a threat to the safety and
well-being of young people. For a sitting governor and presidential
candidate to make such a disgraceful claim is unconscionable. If
Scott Walker is trying to get his merit badge in being shamefully
irresponsible, he just earned it with flying colors.”