by FOX NEWS Reporter Casey Stegall

IRVING, Texas - The plan to remove a ban on gays in the boy scouts is on hold. The Boy Scouts of America delaying a decision on whether to allow openly gay people to become members. The group saying they will now take up the issue at their national meeting in May. Boy Scout leaders are considering one idea to let local scout masters decide for themselves whether to allow gays to join. Earlier this week, President Obama urging the scouts to change their policy, saying gays and lesbians should have the same access and opportunity as everyone else. Texas Governor Rick Perry (R), himself an eagle scout, disagrees, saying popular culture shouldn't impact 100 years of standards.

"Without such values, morality becomes this abstract concept," says Governor Perry (R).

Just a few days ago, some scouts and their families delivered a petition to the group's national headquarters, urging them to stop excluding gays.

"Even though my scout parents loved me and constantly thanked me for all the hard work I did, I was still removed based on this archaic policy that just needs to be changed," says Jennifer Tyrell, who was removed as a den leader.

Some religious groups are threatening to pull their memberships if the scouts change the policy. The Boy Scouts have nearly 3 million members. No matter what the decision is now come May, it is still no doubt a polarizing issue that we have not heard the last of. Our local Boy Scout council released a statement today highlighting the importance of this decision. You can read it on Fox17.com by clicking on FOX LINKS. We'll continue updating this story on the web and on Facebook at Facebook.com/FoxNashville.
Boy Scouts delay decision on policy excluding gays