The Boy Scouts of America today reaffirmed its policy to prevent gays from joining or being leaders within the organization, following a secret two-year review, the group says.
A special committee of Scout executive and adult volunteers formed in 2010 concluded unanimously that the anti-gay policy was the "absolute best" for the 100-year-old organization, national spokesman Deron Smith, told The Associated Press.
The current policy allows families to address sexuality in private and no further action will be taken, it added.
Eleven volunteers and leaders, with a range of "perspectives and opinions", were chosen to undertake the study.
Smith said it represented "a diversity of perspectives and opinions," but did not name the members of that committee. The Scouts is one of the largest youth organizations in the country with 2.7 million members and more than 1 million adult volunteers.
In 2000 the Boy Scouts of America won a close 5-4 ruling in the US Supreme Court which allowed it to continue its longstanding ban on gay people. The group argued that lifting the prohibition would violate its values.
A campaign for change subsequently gathered momentum and the group launched its own review in 2010.
Announcing their conclusion, the Boy Scouts cited support from parents as a major reason for keeping 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," Boy Scouts chief executive Bob Mazzuca said.
"We fully understand that no single policy will accommodate the many diverse views among our membership or society."
The panel was unanimous in its decision and a Boy Scouts of America spokesman told the Associated Press it was "absolutely the best policy" for the group.
