Gay Troop Leader Kicked Out Of Boy Scouts, Believes He's First Removed Since New Policy Began
Geoff McGrath believes he is the first openly gay Scoutmaster to be removed since the BSA's controversial ballot ruling last year that allowed gay youth — but not gay adults — to participate.
Forty-nine-year-old Geoff McGrath, leader of Troop 98 in Seattle’s Rainier Beach, is reportedly the first gay troop leader to be removed from the Boy Scouts of America.
NBC News had been working on a story about Troop 98 when this statement was released from the BSA yesterday:
The BSA claimed McGrath "deliberately injected" his sexuality into the organization by speaking to NBC.
Sharon Moulds, a member of the Seattle BSA Council, claimed she only was made aware of McGrath's sexual orientation when NBC News contacted her.
It was then that we became aware of his intentions to make a public statement about his orientation and use our program as a means to further a personal agenda.
McGrath, who has been with his husband for 20 years, claimed he never hid his sexual orientation from Scouting leaders when applying for the leadership position.
It is BSA policy not to inquire about sexual orientation during the application for a leadership position. Spokesman Deron Smith said in an email to NBC:
Our policy is that we do not ask people about their sexual orientation, and it's not an issue until they deliberately inject it into Scouting in an inappropriate fashion [...] We spoke with Mr. McGrath today and based on the information he provided, the National Council has revoked his registration.
"They are complaining that the problem is a distraction to Scouting and they don’t seem to understand that the distraction is self-inflicted," McGrath stated.
McGrath has not yet received official word of his dismissal. "I'll continue to serve as Scoutmaster of Troop 98 until I'm relieved of my responsibility by the Pastor," he wrote on his Facebook.
