Today, a young gay man growing up in a small town, in a deeply conservative home, can look out his window and see his country evolving. Just a few years ago, his military barred him from serving openly, a hate crime committed against him might have gone unpunished as such, and his Congress was debating whether or not to amend the Constitution to render him a second-class citizen. Today, America looks so much more like a country that embraces him, even if discrimination still prevails in his church, his schoolyard or around his dinner table.

But even as this incredible transformation takes place nationwide, one group we trust to teach America’s children well has stood firmly against giving this young gay man the hope of an inclusive future: the leadership of the Boy Scouts of America.