Billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates, a former Boy Scout, thinks it's time for the Boy Scouts of America to end its ban on gay leaders and members.
The Microsoft co-founder spoke out Wednesday during the inaugural installment of Politico's new interview series, Playbook Cocktails, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
When Gates was asked if he thought the organization should move forward with lifting the ban on gay members, he replied, without a hint of a doubt, "absolutely."
Politico's D.C. bureau chief, Mike Allen, asked him why.
"Because it is 2013," he replied.
The crowd responded with an enthusiastic round of applause.
Gates remembered his time with the Scouts with fondness and said that he still goes hiking with his children as he used to do then. He joked about how the Scouts taught him to tie knots and now he can do it when he docks his boat
Watch the video here.
Gates' declarations come at a time when the ban to gay members is a topic of a heated debate within the Boy Scouts of America. The organization sent a detailed survey about the exclusion of homosexuals to over one million members.
The survey was not a simple "yes" or "no" question, but it seeks answers with hypothetical questions. Some of the questions posed theoretical problems such as "Should gay and straight scouts be allowed to share a tent on a camping trip?" or "What role should faith play in scouting?" Others were more open-ended, and described situations, which will likely arise if the ban was to be lifted: "Should the lesbian mother of a Tiger club be allowed to serve as den leader if the pack is chartered to a church that teaches that homosexuality is not wrong?" or "Should a boy with the qualifications for Eagle Scout be denied the award if he reveals he's gay at his board review?"
The Boy Scouts have been considering repealing the ban for a while, but in July decided to delay a decision. They have also considered allowing local chapters make their own decisions on whether to allow gay members in their troops.
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