Boy Scouts delays vote on admitting gay members

The Boy Scouts of America will delay a decision on whether to allow gay troop members until May, the group said Wednesday.

Last week, the organization announced it was considering allowing local chapters to decide for themselves whether or not to specifically bar gay young people and adult leaders from joining. An outpouring of protest from religious organizations appears to have reversed that decision, NBC News reports, with the BSA now saying it will wait until a meeting of its entire national council in May before considering changing the policy.

Spokesmen for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Southern Baptist Convention told NBC they were pleased with the group's decision to solicit more feedback before considering a change.

About 70 percent of troop units are backed by a religious organization, according to the New York Times.