The Boy Scouts of America has a chance to be on the right side of history next week if its national leadership votes to end the Scouts’ long-standing ban on openly gay Scouts and leaders.

Obviously, this hasn’t been an easy trek for the fabled organization, which as recently as last summer reaffirmed its national ban on gays participating in Scouting. However, the proposed alternative — to allow each local governing council and troop to decide whether to admit gay leaders or Scouts — is an important step in the right direction.