The time is now for a change in the Boy Scouts of America national policy that restricts membership based on sexual orientation.

With two sons in the program, I struggle to reconcile the positive message of citizenship that Scouts represent with the negative policy of discrimination the Boy Scouts of America has embraced. The current policy that bans membership of gays is inconsistent with the fundamental Scout values of compassion and respect.

Instead, the Boy Scouts of America should live up to its core value of courage, and hand the responsibility of accepting members and selecting leaders to chartered organizations.

— Julian Fischer

Anchorage