Geoff McGrath believes he is the first openly gay Scoutmaster to be removed since the BSA’s controversial ballot ruling last year that allowed gay youth — but not gay adults — to participate.
Forty-nine-year-old Geoff McGrath, leader of Troop 98 in Seattle’s Rainier Beach, is reportedly the first gay troop leader to be removed from the Boy Scouts of America.
The Boy Scouts' National Council voted last year to allow gay youth to participate as of Jan. 1, but not gay adults.
NBC News had been working on a story about Troop 98 when this statement was released from the BSA yesterday:
The BSA claimed McGrath "deliberately injected" his sexuality into the organization by speaking to NBC.
Staff / Reuters
It was then that we became aware of his intentions to make a public statement about his orientation and use our program as a means to further a personal agenda.