The Boy Scouts of America voted this week to lift a ban on gay scout leaders leaving that decision to the individual organizations and churches that sponsor local troops. For Minnesota scouting council, the decision hasn’t changed much as most already allowed gay scout leaders either implicitly or explicitly.

The Northern Star Council which covers the Twin Cities and parts of western Wisconsin, has been inclusive for years. The national policy change won’t affect it, the Star Tribune reports.

The Council had also backed proposed changes to allow gay scout leaders. On its website, the council wrote:

Northern Star Council supports the National BSA Board action of 7/27/15 to implement President Robert Gates’ recommended modification of the National BSA Leadership Standards. This is a reasonable solution, recognizing that sexuality is outside the scope of Scouting’s mission, while faith based chartered organizations have first amendment rights to set standards for their own members. We will continue to maintain a high standard of appropriate behavior, and keep our focus on the young people we seek to serve.

The Northern Lights Council covering northwest Minnesota and the Fargo-Moorhead area has also had gay leaders despite the national council’s ban, the Forum reports:

Northern Lights Council Executive Director Roger Hoyt said Monday’s vote from Boy Scouts of America formalized a practice that the council had already been using.
“We’ve had gay leaders in our councils for years,” Hoyt said. “It’s almost that national policy is now in line with the practice we’ve had (for) a few years now.”
Hoyt, who started with the council in February, said he couldn’t say for sure whether there were gay leaders within the Northern Light Council….
Prior to Monday’s policy change, Hoyt said, the organization relied on a “don’t ask ask don’t tell” approach, because the national group still mandated that no leaders could be openly gay.

Pastors in the council also appear to support the change:

Senior Pastor Martin Avery at Fargo Faith United Methodist Church says the church has no plans to pull its sponsorship of Boy Scout Troop 214.
“They should pick leaders that are good quality leaders,” Avery said, adding that a person’s sexual orientation has no bearing on their position with the church’s Boy Scouts unit.

The Twin Valley Council in southern Minnesota told the Mankato Free Press that it intends to follow the new policy:

But Twin Valley Council Executive Paul Wilkinson said leaders in south-central Minnesota will follow it “to a T.”

The BSA requires Scout units to have the support of an outside organization, such as a school, church or community center. Wilkinson estimated that churches sponsor about half of all local units. Some would take a gay leader, he said, and others wouldn’t.