Vote on admitting gay Boy Scouts delayed until May

A controversial vote on whether to allow gay members and leaders into The Boy Scouts of America has been delayed.

The Boy Scouts were supposed discuss the old policy barring gay members at a national executive board meeting in Texas on Wednesday, but a report from The Associated Press says the vote was moved until the annual meeting in May where 1,400 voting members will have their say.

"After careful consideration and extensive dialogue within the Scouting family, along with comments from those outside the organization, the volunteer officers of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Executive Board concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy," Boy Scouts of America director of public relations Deron Smith said in a statement.

The push to let gay members in has been met with resistance from religious groups, many of which give funding to the scouts. Of the 2.7 million Boy Scout members in the U.S., more than 70 per cent of those are connected to a church or other religious group, reports CNN.

On Feb. 3, President Barack Obama was asked whether the Boys Scouts should be open to gays. His answer: "Yes."