Happy 94th birthday, Nelson Mandela

The Boy Scouts of America announced yesterday that it was affirming, after a secret two-year review, its ban on gay members. The decision elicited widespread criticism and raised questions about whether the world’s largest youth organisation was out of step with the times – and its own principles. The Boys Scouts of America says no gay boys or leaders allowed. The organization upheld its policy after a two-year review brought on by pressure from gay rights groups. Everyone from scout leaders to legal analysts pointed to the cultural currents moving toward more inclusion of gays in US society, from President Obama’s announcement that he now personally supports gay marriage, to the end of the US military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, to the Episcopal church’s decision to bless same-sex unions. The Boy Scouts are on the wrong side of history on this issue and will “wither away” if it sticks to this policy. Gays are people as well. They're here, they're queer, and the Boy Scouts should just get used to it instead of shunning them. Scouting should be for everyone, so the best solution would be to start another more inclusive scouting association. In other news, Romanian president Traian Basescu is likely to be impeached by voters in a referendum on July 29 (not this coming Sunday, but the Sunday after), an opinion poll showed today, providing turnout is high enough to make the vote valid.