( CNN ) -- When I was 10 , the school that hosted my Cub Scout pack told us we needed to find a new home . The Boy Scouts of America 's policy of prohibiting gay Scouts and Scoutmasters -- which the Supreme Court had recently affirmed -- violated the school 's nondiscrimination policy . I was confused , because my den mother , Jackie -- who is my actual mother -- was a lesbian , and nobody in our unit had any issue with that . The school district in Iowa City , Iowa , was adamant . We had to go . It would not host an organization that discriminated against gay people . We managed to find an alternative sponsor , a church not too far away . My mother continued to be den mother . But some parents pulled their kids from the pack , uncomfortable with entrusting their sons to an organization they believed engaged in discrimination . Unfortunately , because of the Boy Scouts of America 's shortsighted policy , many of the boys who left my pack missed out on learning the lifelong principles , values and skills that Scouting offers . Those enlightened Iowa parents I remember so clearly were one of the reasons that , a decade later , I founded Scouts for Equality , the national campaign to end the Boy Scouts of America 's ban on gay members . After meeting den mother Jennifer Tyrrell , a lesbian who had been kicked out of Scouting , it was clear that what I had learned in Scouting demanded action . Opinion : Time for Scouts to ban discrimination . Our organization trained Scouts in grass-roots organizing , led petition drives that gathered 1.4 million signatures , and provided emotional support to advocates as they dealt with character assassination and homophobic vandalism . Less than a month after we launched , the Boy Scouts of America doubled down on its anti-gay membership policy . But last week , in an unexpected move , it announced that its national board is considering a policy change to end the organization 's high-profile national ban on gay members and leaders . It would leave the decision to include gays up to local units . Although the move would only shift the ability to discriminate from the national level to the local , it would be an important step in the right direction . There should be no doubt that this move will open the Scouting program to more youth , and that 's something we should all be celebrating . First of all , more school districts such as the one I grew up in will be able to resume their sponsorship of Scouting units , offering space for Scouts to meet , develop skills and enjoy one another 's friendship . Meeting in local elementary schools always made the most sense for the Boy Scouts anyway : They 're in the neighborhood , centrally located and have more than adequate resources to host Scouting programs . Watch Zach Wahls address the Iowa House of Representatives on same-sex marriage . And second , even though some sponsor organizations might continue to bar gay Scouts and leaders and just as we lost Scouts when parents objected to the ban , we may lose some when the ban is lifted . But I believe the overwhelming majority of Scouting units and sponsors will eventually move in the right direction . Opposition to same-sex marriage is very different from opposition to the development of the skills and minds young men need , regardless of their sexual orientation . Finally , when local units are able to set their own membership standards , those organizations that withdrew funding -- most prominently , chapters of the United Way -- will be able to return that funding to Scouting units that embrace inclusion . Without a blanket policy of nondiscrimination , corporate or foundation giving to the Boy Scouts of America at the national level is a veritable landmine . The Boy Scouts of America should move as quickly as its members will allow in implementing a single national policy of nondiscrimination to streamline and assure these funding sources . I have no doubt that some folks truly believe homosexuality is inconsistent with their understanding of morality and we should include their voices in the broader conversation . But those beliefs should not overrule the opinions of others . Nobody is saying that people who are against homosexuality should be excluded . There 's still much work to do . Should the Boy Scouts of America 's national board adopt the proposed policy change as expected , Scouts for Equality will continue to urge local units across the nation to embrace inclusion . A house divided can not stand . And speaking as a straight Eagle Scout , discrimination -- whether it 's at the national or local level -- sends a harmful message to all young people . It has no place in Scouting . I hope that with the end of this policy , some of those parents who had reservations about the Boy Scouts might re-enroll their sons in the program . Scouting , like the community that once hosted my former pack and may have the chance to do so again , should be a home to all . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Zach Wahls .
Zach Wahls says his mother , a lesbian , ran his Scout den without any one objecting . After ban on gays instituted , Wahls became activist to allow gays in Scouting . Wahls says ban is harmful since Scouts lost funding and support of many parents . Wahls : Boy Scouts of America might lift national ban , but local units could still discriminate .