The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) will soon be reversing a policy by allowing gay men to become members, according to an announcement by the organization’s leader made on May 21.

During a national meeting in Atlanta, BSA president Robert M. Gates announced that changing the membership policy to allowing gay men to join would be in the best interest of the organization’s future and sustainability, which is more than a century old.

Although no official change in membership policy was voted on, a final decision will be reached later this year, no later than the BSA’s national executive board meeting in October, according to BSA officials.

The recent announcement comes on the 2nd anniversary of the BSA lifting its ban on gay youths.

Several BSA councils throughout the country have been allowing gay men into the organization for years prior to Thursday’s announcement. The Los Angeles Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America welcomed the announcement.

“The Los Angeles Area Council has had a policy of nondiscrimination for many years, including nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. We have also been a leading voice for change in national policy,” Los Angeles Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America president Gerry Morton said in a statement.

According to BSA’s national membership policy, gay men are not allowed to become members.

“While the BSA does not proactively inquire about sexual orientation of employees, volunteers or members, we do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the BSA,” the BSA’s “Membership Standards Resolution” read.

Stuart Hall, who has been involved with the BSA for 20 years in Los Angeles as well as the Cub Scouts, a division of the BSA for younger children, is supportive of the new proposed policy.

“Personally, I don’t have an issue with it at all. To be perfectly honest, I’m sure there have been many gay leaders participating in the scouts in this country for a long time,” Hall said.

Hall added that many BSA chapters, known as troops, do not inquire about sexual orientation. His troop practices that policy.

“In my opinion, it’s nice that they will come out in the open about it,” Hall said.

However, Hall said that it may be best to allow local councils to decide for themselves if they want gay men in their troops, since many troops have churches that sponsor them, especially the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).

The church is a strong supporter with many members of BSA, according to Hall.

“There are going to be councils where people have very strong religious beliefs. For troops that are sponsored by a [Mormon] church, I don’t know that I would want to deny them their religious freedom as well,” Hall said.

Many people have misconceptions about the gay community, according to Hall. For some, the idea of a gay man leading a troop of young boys appears unsafe which is a misconception, according to Hall.

“In my mind, a homosexual is not a pedophile,” Hall said.

Zach Wahls, executive director of Scouts for Equality, an organization made up of former and current heterosexual and gay BSA members that seeks to end the ban on gay members, said the recent announcement is a big change.

“What we do know is that this was a 180-degree shift from where they were a year ago,” Wahls said. “It was [Gates’] view that they should not worry about [gay membership]. But what we see now is a full endorsement reevaluating the membership policy.”

Wahls, however, said that the official membership policy has not been changed as of yet.

“But we’re optimistic. Our work isn’t done until the Boy Scouts are fully inclusive,” he said.