Scouts poised to make important change

Same-sex marriage is now the law of the land in Maine, New Hampshire and a handful of other states. Gay men and women can now defend our nation openly and honestly in the military. On Feb. 6, another milestone in this civil-rights struggle should be reached when the Boy Scouts of America's national board considers lifting the organization's nationwide ban on openly gay Scouts and troop leaders.

Under the proposed change, each Scout troop's sponsoring organization would decide at the local level whether to admit openly gay Scouts and leaders.