Close to completing the rigorous requirements to become an Eagle Scout, 16-year-old Pascal Tessier cheered the decision by the Boy Scouts of America on Thursday (23 May) to repeal its ban on gay members.

'Just a few hours ago, I was thinking that today could be my last day as a Boy Scout,' the teen from Kensington, Maryland said in a statement after the vote. 'Obviously, for gay Scouts like me, this vote is life-changing.'

The Boy Scouts of America will begin allowing openly gay members to be a part of the organization beginning next year.

The BSA's approximately 1,400-member National Council on Thursday (23 May) met in Grapevine, Texas and 61.4% voted to pass the new membership standards.

The new standards state that 'no youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone.'

But a ban on LGBT adult leaders and volunteers will remain in place without any further review planned.

In 2009 I joined a gay sports team. I’ve never been a particularly sporty person, but I wanted a fitness option that wasn’t the gym and I was wanting to widen my social circle a bit.

‘Why does it have to be a gay sports team?’ my then-boyfriend asked. I guess it didn’t have to be, but it just seemed the obvious starting point.

One of the top results on my Google search was a directory of gay sports clubs in London put together by GMFA – a UK charity that coordinates a range of services.

The Mormon Church has come out in support of the Boy Scouts of America lifting its longtime ban on gay members.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also endorses the part of the proposal that continues to ban gays and lesbians once they become adults and want to transition to leadership roles in the organization.

The church sponsors more Boy Scout troops than any other religious organization.

The Boy Scouts of America is set to ask members to lift the long-standing ban on gay members.

The organization’s board will still have to vote on the plan in May, however. And it is only lifting the ban on gay youth members, not adult leaders.

The recommendation will be put to the 1,400 members at the National Council meeting in Texas starting in the week of 20 May. It comes after years of protest and three months of research, surveys and discussions.

20 year-old Cason Crane has raised over $100,000 (€78,000) for a gay charity by climbing the seven highest mountains in the world.

Crane, who is set to become the first openly gay man to climb the world's highest peaks known as the ‘Seven Summits’, has named his quest The Rainbow Summits Project as a fundraising effort for US LGBT suicide prevention group The Trevor Project.

Less than two weeks after cancelling a gig with the Boy Scouts of America because of their anti-gay policies, singer Carly Rae Jepsen has booked one of the gayest gigs in America: White Party.

Jepsen, of Call Me Maybe fame, will headline White Party T-Dance on 31 March in Palm Springs, California.

The White party is one of a number of parties held annually and its name comes from the requirement that party-goers dress in all or almost all white. Past headliners include Lady Gaga, Mary J Blige, Robyn, ke$ha and Jennifer Lopez.

The Grammy winning band Train has given the Boy Scouts of America an ultimatum: drop your ban on gays or we won't perform at your annual national event.

The band, which has shown support for the LGBT community in the past. was scheduled to perform at Boy Scouts 2013 National Scout Jamboree as the closing night act.

'When we booked this show for the Boy Scouts of America we were not aware of any policy barring openly gay people from participation within the organization,' the band said in a statement.

As the Boy Scouts of America continues to mull over whether to drop its ban on gays, one of its former members has decided to try and put a financial squeeze on the group.

Former scout Eddie Kurtz launched a petition drive this week urging the California legislature to pass a bill that would strip the BSA of its tax breaks because of its discriminatory policy.

The national board of the Boys Scouts of America on Wednesday (6 February) delayed a decision of whether or not to end its controversial ban on gay members and leaders.

The BSA said in a statement that 'after careful consideration and extensive dialogue' within the organization along with outside comments, the board concluded 'that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy.'

Gov. Rick Perry doesn't want to see any changes in the Boy Scouts.

After a speech to a gathering of Texas Scouts, the Lone Star State Republican told reporters he wished the Boy Scouts would not change its prohibition against gay members.

'Hopefully the board will follow their historic position of keeping the Scouts strongly supportive of the values that make Scouting this very important and impactful organization,' Perry said, as reported by the Fresno Bee.