Teen seeks Boy Scouts' top honor with gay community project

CHICAGO (AP) — David Fite had already earned the 21 Boy Scout merit badges needed to earn the coveted rank of Eagle. But he still had to complete a community service project.

Now 16, he'd always been a gung-ho scout, dutiful, polite and committed. But he'd also been disappointed with the organization's longstanding ban on openly gay scouts and leaders, so much so that he'd considered quitting. "I knew it wasn't right," said Fite, who has many family friends who are gay or lesbian — some of them honorary "aunts" and "uncles" who've given him money for camp and other scouting projects over the years.

Instead of leaving his beloved Troop 115, the usually quiet teen decided to make some noise, writing letters and speaking out with other scouts and adults who also opposed the bans. And he knew his Eagle project was his best chance to make a statement. Though the Boy Scouts lifted the ban on openly gay scouts in 2013, the ban on gay leaders remained when he laid out his proposal early last year: community service projects in Chicago's main gay and lesbian neighborhood.

It's what a Boy Scout does, he said — stands up for his family and his community.

"In my mind, I knew I was doing the right thing," he said.