The Boy Scouts of America reaffirmed a policy Tuesday banning gay leaders and scouts.
    
An 11-member special committee has been reviewing the policy for the last two years.
    
Scout spokesman Deron Smith said the committee unanimously "came to the conclusion that this policy is absolutely the best policy for the Boy Scouts."
    
That decision comes in spite of numerous protests and campaigns from critics. But according to one scout official, most parents stand behind the policy.

"The vast majority of the parents of youth we serve value their right to address issues of same-sex orientation within their family, with spiritual advisers and at the appropriate time and in the right setting," Scouts' chief executive, Bob Mazzuca, said.

"We fully understand that no single policy will accommodate the many diverse views among our membership or society," he added.