The Boy Scouts of America voted on Thursday to end its controversial policy banning gay kids and teens from joining one of the nation’s most popular youth organizations, ditching membership guidelines that had roiled the group in recent years.

Over 60 percent of The National Council of 1,400 delegates from Scouting across the country voted to lift the ban, BSA officials said. The ban on gay leaders was not voted on, and will remain in place. 

“Today, following this review, the most comprehensive listening exercise in Scouting’s history the approximate 1,400 voting members of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Council approved a resolution to remove the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation alone,” the BSA said in a statement following the vote.

Read more here.

Pint-sized Tom Daley Instagramed these pics of himself this week wearing a new sombrero and undies. The cute Olympic diver is in Mexico celebrating his birthday Via Queerty.

Randy Thomasson

Two favorite words that the right is using constantly these days are ‘impeach’ and ‘Hitler.’ Of course, one story today capitalizes on one of these words. I don’t have anything to share today regarding the word ‘impeach,’ but if you Google “Bengazi” I am sure you will find something.

Many wing nuts kept their kids out of school today in California to avoid ‘exposure’ to any celebration of Harvey Milk Day in their schools. In encouraging parents to do so, ”Save California” leader Randy Thomasson says teachers and administrators who back Harvey Milk Day are just like Hitler.

And then there’s this idiot who is in the running for Lt. Governor of Virginia:

The New Civil Rights Movement: GOP Lt. Gov. Nominee: Same-Sex Marriage Leads To ‘Adam And A Bull’

E.W. Jackson, the Republican Party’s newly anointed nominee to become Lt. Governor ofVirginia, last October told local church-goers that they same-sex marriage leads to bestiality. “I’m serious,” Jackson, a Christian minister told his church.

Jackson has a long and well-documented history of anti-gay attacks:

LOOK: Gays Are ‘Very Sick People Psychologically, Mentally And Emotionally’ Says GOP Lt. Gov. Nominee

“If we don’t stand up” for so-called traditional marriage, Jackson warned, “Adam and Steve” will lead to “Adam and a bull.” He also warned that if society doesn’t stop same-sex marriage now it will be “overwhelmed by the torrent of wickedness.”

Jackson is on the gubernatorial ticket with current Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. The Democrat in the Virginia governor’s race is former DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe.

On Monday, The New Civil Rights Movement published a story showing that Virginia’s GOP nominee for Attorney General to replace Cuccinelli, state Senator Mark Obenshain, sponsored a bill that would have thrown women in jail if they had a miscarriage and did not report it to police within 24 hours.

And beer prices are going up in San Francisco. Oy vey.

Via WickedGayBlog. Check out my obsession with Anthony Carrino here.

On Monday, I wrote about my attendance at a Harvey Milk event in San Francisco’s Castro District. Today, I discovered this terrific video of participants reading a re-enactment of Harvey Milk’s famous Hope Speech to celebrate Harvey Milk Day, 2013.

To mark what would have been Harvey Milk’s 83rd birthday, San Francisco city officials organized a reenactment of his famous “You’ve Got To Have Hope” speech on Sunday, May 19, 2013. Milk gave the speech on June 24, 1977 at the San Francisco Gay Community Center at the campaign kick-off to announce his third bid for supervisor. Five people helped recite a portion of the speech, including:

Courtney Walsh and Aaron Wimmer, two actors from Dear Harvey, the recent New Conservatory Theater play about Milk’s life
Randall Mann, local poet and winner of the 2003 Kenyon Review Prize in Poetry
Sister Roma, 20-year member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
Andrea Shorter, lesbian political consultant who serves on the city’s Commission on the Status of Women.

Music: “Only Hope” by Yuri Sazonoff.

Video produced by Sean Chapin

Says Rep. Bridenstine: “If the Left were truly tolerant, they would tolerate the Boy Scouts being who they have always been.”

Via Good As You