Back then you could wear your uniform to school and not be ridiculed

I became an Eagle Scout in 1970. Things under the BSA's policy shift of the 1990s has hollowed out the once vibrant organization:

BSA membership, 4.8 million in the 1970s, slipped last year to 2.7 million. It is difficult to see how much longer the Scouts can hold onto the past when open-minded youth and parents increasingly cross off from consideration organizations that openly discriminate. Last year alone, the number of Cub Scout leaders dropped nearly 6 percent (full disclosure: I am a Scout volunteer).

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Scouting Association enjoyed its biggest single-year increase in 38 years in 2009 with a comprehensive strategy of making outdoor activities cool again and saying clearly that scouting is for every child, including girls and gay youth. UK chief scout commissioner Wayne Bulpitt recently did a video for an anti-gay-bullying campaign.