title: Franklin Graham: Gates' Call to End Gay Adult Ban Puts Scouts 'at Risk'
authors: Sean Piccoli
content: Robert Gates , shame on you for not having the moral courage to do what is right . Yesterday Gates , the president of Boy ... Posted by Franklin Graham on Friday , May 22 , 2015
  The Rev . Franklin Graham , the prominent evangelist , denounced Boy Scouts of America President Robert Gates on Friday and accused him of putting children at risk with his call for an end to the organization 's ban on openly gay scoutmasters . `` Robert Gates , shame on you for not having the moral courage to do what is right , '' Graham wrote in a Friday post on Facebook that had received more than 40,000 `` likes , '' 11,000 comments and had been shared by more than 10,000 people as of Friday evening.Graham , son and successor of famed televangelist Billy Graham , was reacting to remarks by Gates on Thursday at the scouts ' annual meeting in Atlanta.The former secretary of defense , now the scouts ' top official , called the ban unsustainable — reversing an earlier promise to steer clear of the issue . `` We must deal with the world as it is , not as we might wish it to be . The status quo in our movement 's membership standards can not be sustained , '' he said on Thursday.Gates said he did not plan to revoke the membership charters of any local troops known to have gay adults in supervisory roles , an apparent reference to a New York chapter hiring an openly gay scoutmaster this spring . `` What are you thinking ? '' Graham wrote in response to Gates . `` We should n't shift as the winds of cultural change blow through society ; we need to stand for God 's truth and things that are morally right . `` This move is bending to LGBT activist groups and would put young , innocent boys at risk , '' wrote the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan 's Purse , an international Christian charity . `` I encourage every former Boy Scout and every parent involved in the Boy Scouts to let Robert Gates know how displeased you are and that if he leads the organization down this road , they may lose your support , your participation — and your sons , '' he wrote.Gates said he was not asking the organization 's board to make an immediate policy change at the annual meeting . `` But I must speak as plainly and bluntly to you as I spoke to presidents when I was director of CIA and secretary of defense , '' he said.At the Pentagon , Gates oversaw the repeal , beginning in 2011 , of `` Do n't Ask , Do n't Tell , '' the Clinton-era compromise policy that has now given way to openly gay service members in the U.S. armed forces.Gates was elected to a two-year term as the Boy Scouts ' president in 2014 , after the organization voted in 2013 to allow openly gay scouts.He said at the outset that his preference was to also allow gay scoutmasters , but that he would not broach the issue during his term for fear of causing a `` formal , permanent split '' in the organization , Think Progress reported at the time.In the same address at last year 's annual meeting in Nashville , Gates said recruitment had declined in part because of negative publicity surrounding the ban.Prominent companies including aerospace giant Lockheed Martin and Walt Disney have ended longstanding partnerships with the scouts in protest of the ban.Advocates for gay scouts cheered Gates ' remarks while others with ties to the organization were ambivalent , the Los Angeles Times reports . `` It 's one of those things I was hoping I would n't have to think about for years to come , '' said David Barton , an Orange County , California , cubmaster and father of two boys in scouting , told the Times.Barton told the Times that it `` would be silly to think that a higher percentage of gay men want to do harm to boys than straight men , '' but that he still has concerns about gay scout leaders accompanying boys on camping trips .
content_original: Robert Gates, shame on you for not having the moral courage to do what is right. Yesterday Gates, the president of Boy... Posted by Franklin Graham on Friday, May 22, 2015
  
  The Rev. Franklin Graham, the prominent evangelist, denounced Boy Scouts of America President Robert Gates on Friday and accused him of putting children at risk with his call for an end to the organization's ban on openly gay scoutmasters."Robert Gates, shame on you for not having the moral courage to do what is right," Graham wrote in a Friday post on Facebook that had received more than 40,000 "likes," 11,000 comments and had been shared by more than 10,000 people as of Friday evening.Graham, son and successor of famed televangelist Billy Graham, was reacting to remarks by Gates on Thursday at the scouts' annual meeting in Atlanta.The former secretary of defense, now the scouts' top official, called the ban unsustainable — reversing an earlier promise to steer clear of the issue."We must deal with the world as it is, not as we might wish it to be. The status quo in our movement's membership standards cannot be sustained," he said on Thursday.Gates said he did not plan to revoke the membership charters of any local troops known to have gay adults in supervisory roles, an apparent reference to a New York chapter hiring an openly gay scoutmaster this spring."What are you thinking?" Graham wrote in response to Gates. "We shouldn't shift as the winds of cultural change blow through society; we need to stand for God's truth and things that are morally right."This move is bending to LGBT activist groups and would put young, innocent boys at risk," wrote the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian charity."I encourage every former Boy Scout and every parent involved in the Boy Scouts to let Robert Gates know how displeased you are and that if he leads the organization down this road, they may lose your support, your participation — and your sons," he wrote.Gates said he was not asking the organization's board to make an immediate policy change at the annual meeting."But I must speak as plainly and bluntly to you as I spoke to presidents when I was director of CIA and secretary of defense," he said.At the Pentagon, Gates oversaw the repeal, beginning in 2011, of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the Clinton-era compromise policy that has now given way to openly gay service members in the U.S. armed forces.Gates was elected to a two-year term as the Boy Scouts' president in 2014, after the organization voted in 2013 to allow openly gay scouts.He said at the outset that his preference was to also allow gay scoutmasters, but that he would not broach the issue during his term for fear of causing a "formal, permanent split" in the organization, Think Progress reported at the time.In the same address at last year's annual meeting in Nashville, Gates said recruitment had declined in part because of negative publicity surrounding the ban.Prominent companies including aerospace giant Lockheed Martin and Walt Disney have ended longstanding partnerships with the scouts in protest of the ban.Advocates for gay scouts cheered Gates' remarks while others with ties to the organization were ambivalent, the Los Angeles Times reports."It's one of those things I was hoping I wouldn't have to think about for years to come," said David Barton, an Orange County, California, cubmaster and father of two boys in scouting, told the Times.Barton told the Times that it "would be silly to think that a higher percentage of gay men want to do harm to boys than straight men," but that he still has concerns about gay scout leaders accompanying boys on camping trips.