In "LDS and Scouting" (Forum, May 2), George Andrus chided The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for supporting the proposal to allow gay teens but not gay adult males into the Boy Scout program.
The church is wrong to exclude gay men from participating in Scouting, but it is unfair to dismiss as insignificant its decision to include openly gay teens. Such a step is not total equality, but it does represent a significant step toward such equality, and the LDS Church deserves credit for taking that step.
Historically, gay teens in America have been a severely marginalized group, as evidenced by the number of suicides among that group in recent years. For a gay teen who desires to be involved in the Boy Scouts, allowing him to join is anything but trivial.
I disagree with the LDS Church on the majority of its policies and positions relative to gay rights, but it's only fair to give credit where credit is due.
Brian Jones
Spanish Fork