( CNN ) -- The questions go to the heart of the issue , presenting scenarios some may find challenging . The Boy Scouts of America , now considering a change in the group 's longstanding policy against allowing openly gay members , has sent out a questionnaire that goes beyond a simple yes or no on the subject . Among them : Is it acceptable for a gay scout and a straight scout to share a tent on an overnight camping trip ? The survey sent to leaders and parents includes five multiple-choice answers ranging from `` totally acceptable '' to `` totally unacceptable . '' Listening phase . In February , the Boy Scouts of America 's national executive board postponed a vote on lifting its outright ban on openly homosexual scouts and troop leaders . The decision will be made at the organization 's annual meeting in May , where about 1,400 members of the group 's national council will take part , the board said . The organization said at the time that it would `` further engage representatives of Scouting 's membership and listen to their perspectives and concerns . '' Read the survey ( pdf ) The Boy Scouts said in a statement Tuesday that they 're in the `` listening phase '' and are `` reviewing a number of issues and how they will impact the BSA , including youth , chartered organizations , parents , and financial , fundraising , and legal concerns . '' The questions . The survey 's nine questions directly address those concerns and point to the complexities of the issues involved . Here 's one of the questions from the survey : . `` David , a Boy Scout , believes that homosexuality is wrong . His troop is chartered to a church where the doctrine of that faith also teachers that homosexuality is wrong . Steven , an openly gay youth , applies to be a member in the troop and is denied membership . Is it acceptable or unacceptable for this troop to deny Steve membership in their troop ? '' Another question asks if a lesbian mom should be allowed to be den leader , if the church it 's chartered to has no problem with homosexuality . The issues are challenging for an organization that has many ties to organized religion , many of them conservative . Before the Scouts postponed their vote in February , the executive board was expected to consider a proposal to let local groups set their own policies . Opinion : Ban on gays hurts Scouting . The decision disappointed critics , who had hoped to see the organization end its ban despite a 2000 Supreme Court ruling saying it had the right to keep it . `` Every day that the Boy Scouts of America delay action is another day that discrimination prevails , '' said Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin . `` Now is the time for action . Young Americans , gay and straight , are hurt by the inaction ... The BSA leadership should end this awful policy once and for all , and open the proud tradition of Scouting to all . '' Conservative groups and some religious organizations have argued against making any change , saying it would dilute the Boy Scout message of morality and potentially destroy the organization . The Boy Scouts announced in January that the organization would consider changing the policy , a sharp reversal of its previous support for excluding openly gay members and scout leaders . The new policy would allow local leaders to decide `` consistent with each organization 's mission , principles or religious beliefs '' whether to open troops they sponsor to openly gay people , the group said in a statement at the time . The proposal comes more than a decade after a Supreme Court ruling that found the organization has the right to keep gays out , but also amid declining participation in the venerable American institution . Membership is down . Membership in Boy Scouts has declined by about a third since 1999 . About 2.7 million people now participate in scouting nationwide , with more than 70 % of troops affiliated with a church or religious groups . The organization has also endured frequent criticism from gay rights groups and other critics who say the Boy Scouts should not endorse discrimination . Activists hail a watershed moment in gay rights movement . Among more recent controversies , the organization came under fire last year after Jennifer Tyrrell , an Ohio den leader , was dismissed by her local Boy Scout officials for being a lesbian . A poll released in February suggests the public is in favor of lifting the ban . The poll , conducted January 30 to February 4 by Quinnipiac University , found 55 % of respondents favored lifting the ban . The school said 33 % were opposed . The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points . Scouting goes through a rough patch .
Boy Scout leaders will vote on ending a ban on openly gay members in May . The organization said in January it would consider changing its ban on openly gay members . `` End this awful policy , '' the Human Rights Campaign urges Boy Scouts of America . Conservative groups say a change would dilute the Boy Scout message of morality .