The Boy Scouts of America announced today that they will put off making a decision regarding their ban on gay and lesbian members, which was expected to come down today. Facing pressure from scouts and parents across the country to end the 100-year-old policy, the BSA Executive Board was expected to repeal it, leaving the decision up to individual troops. But the call will now be left up to the National Council - made up of about 1,400 members - who will wait until their May meeting to vote on the ban. "After careful consideration and extensive dialogue within the Scouting family, along with comments from those outside the organization, the volunteer officers of the Boy Scouts of America's National Executive Board concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy," the BSA said in a statement on their website. Herndon Graddick, president of the gay advocacy group GLAAD, saw the delay as a snub to gay young people and parents. "An organization that serves youth and chooses to intentionally hurt dedicated young people and hardworking parents not only flies in the face of American principles, but the principles of being a Boy Scout," Graddick said in a statement emailed to ABC News. "The Boy Scouts of America is choosing to ignore the cries of millions, including religious institutions, current scouting families, and corporate sponsors, but these cries will not be silenced. We're living in a culture where hurting young gay people because of who they [are] is unpopular and discriminatory."

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