Obama says Boy Scouts should end ban on gays

As the Boy Scouts of America debate whether to end the organization’s ban on gay members and instead allow local troops to determine the issue for themselves, the president of the United States has a word of advice. Obama, who ended the military’s ban on out lesbian and gay service members, says the Scouts should do the same.

Asked this evening by CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley whether the Scouts should allow out gay members, the president responded, “yes.”

“My attitude is that gays and lesbians should have access and opportunity the same way everybody else does, in every institution and walk of life,” Obama said. “The Scouts are a great institution that are promoting young people and exposing them to opportunities and leadership that will serve people for the rest of their lives … and I think nobody should be barred from that.”

During the interview, the president also praised the recent the Pentagon’s recent decision to lift the ban on women in combat.

“Women as a practical matter are now in combat,” he said. “They may not get treated as if they’re in combat, but when they’re in theater, in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, they are vulnerable, they are wounded, and they’ve been killed. And they have carried out their jobs with extraordinary patriotism and distinction.”