The Boy Scouts of America voted Thursday to allow openly gay scouts to join the organization, to take effect January 1.

On the opening day of its two-day meeting in Dallas, Texas, roughly 1,400 volunteer leaders from scouting’s 270 councils approved the BSA’s proposal. However, the organization’s ban on gay adults will continue.

Outside the conference center where the national council was meeting, dozens of Christian conservatives waved flags and demonstrated against the change.

“We’re trying to uphold traditional values,” Bill Lizzio, a 56-year-old scout leader from Tennessee, told The New York Times.

There is still work to be done. We need to allow LGB adults to participate. We need to allow trans scouts and leaders. We need to change the homophobic culture of organizations rooted in conservative values.

But for now, we rejoice in this small, but significant victory. Way to go, guys. 

The American Psychiatric Association has appointed its first-ever openly gay CEO and medical director, Saul Levin. He’ll take over when current CEO James H. Scully Jr. retires this fall.

As The Advocate points out, this is kind of a big deal because the APA only removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders 40 years ago.

“I have known Saul for over 20 years,” Scully said in a prepared statement. “He brings extraordinary intelligence, vision and great energy to the challenges ahead for our profession. I look forward to working together with him as we transition to new leadership.”

Levin was also the first openly gay head of the Washington, D.C., Department of Health, where he has been interim director since last summer. “While this is a great loss for the District government, it is a great gain for the American Psychiatric Association,” Mayor Vincent Gray said. “Dr. Levin has done an exemplary job leading DOH in this interim period, and I wish him the best in his future endeavors and thank him for his good work for us.”

Awesome news! Congrats to him.