A sign outside the Boy Scouts of America's National Office in Irving, Texas
Tom Pennington/Getty
It'll be the first day that the organization will allow openly gay Scouts within its ranks.
The BSA has already faced a backlash over the decision – some churches have dropped their sponsorship of Scout units, and the move has prompted a group of protesters to organize a conservative alliance, Trail Life USA, in response.
However, the BSA hasn't seen any major exits by protesting members, and larger sponsors like the Roman Catholic and Mormon churches are standing by the told the Associated Press. "If a church said they wouldn't work with us, we'd have a church right down the street say, 'We'll take the troop.' "
The BSA has already released materials addressing "complications" that may arise: Policies on gay tentmates, group showers and whether or not Scouts can march in gay pride parades are all new ground for the organization.
Though Haddock anticipates "isolated pockets" of problems, he says the transition should go smoothly.
"My hope is there will be the same effect this Jan. 1 as the Y2K scare. It's business as usual, nothing happens and we move forward."
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