Boy Scout Rayne Edelbrock, who is working on his citizenship badge with the hope of becoming an Eagle Scout, is challenging a Scout policy that he believes discriminates against gays and atheists.

Although Edelbrock, 14, is Jewish and straight, he has friends who are gay. When he joined the Scouts, he said he was kind of frowned upon by them.

That woke him up, he says, to the Scouts' reputation for discouraging the participation of gay and atheist youths and of adults who want to be Scout leaders.

"I think the policy is totally wrong," said Edelbrock, a member of Santa Fe Troop 28 and a student at El Dorado Community School. "Before this, I thought the Boy Scouts was a great organization, and then I realized ... they shouldn't be doing stuff like this."

In letters to three members of the New Mexico congressional delegation urging them to redirect Scout policy, Edelbrock cited an apparent 2004 policy statement, "Boy Scouts of America believes that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the obligations in the Scout Oath and Scout Law to be morally straight and clean in thought, word and deed."

That statement seemed to surprise Chris Shelby, executive director of the Boy Scouts' Great Southwest Council, which includes Central and Northern New Mexico Scouts.

"I have never seen anything like that," said Shelby, who's been involved in Scouting leadership for 25 years. "You might have seen something like that in the '80s."

Despite the Scouts' national reputation for dismissing gay leaders and discouraging gay membership, and the lawsuits that have stemmed from such actions, Shelby insists that the Boy Scouts, like other organizations and society in general, have become "more accepting of alternative lifestyles ... I think that's a good thing."

"You can be gay and be a Scout leader," Shelby said.

In a landmark 2000 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a New Jersey court's ruling that the Scouts' policy violated a dismissed gay Scoutmaster's constitutional rights. The high court held that BSA, as a private organization, can exclude persons from membership.

Troop 28 leader, longtime Scout activist Manny Ortiz, declined to comment on the issue, instead referring questions to Shelby, who stated that leaders and Scouts are judged on their behavior and not their sexual orientation.

Shelby also cited the oft-repeated statement by BSA leaders that there is nothing on the Scout application that asks if you are gay or straight. "We do not, however, allow sexual talk — whether it be homosexually or heterosexually oriented — around the campfire. If the boys or girls [the Scouts are now co-ed], want to discuss sex or act in a sexual manner, they are referred to their parents or to religious counselors. Scout leaders are not trained for that kind of counseling," Shelby said.

Noting the high suicide rate among teenagers, he added that Scout leaders "want to protect them, not kick them out of scouting."

A statement on the Scouts' legal Web page, bsalegal.org, says in part: "The Boy Scout Handbook defines a 'morally straight' person as one of strong character whose relationships with others are honest and open. A Scout should respect and defend the rights of all people. A Scout should be clean in speech and actions, and remain faithful in religious beliefs. The values practiced as a Scout will help shape a life of virtue and self-reliance."

The issue is much clearer with regard to atheism.

The Boy Scouts "is a tough place to be for someone who does not believe in God," said Shelby, a practicing Buddhist.

He noted that the Scout pledge begins with: "On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country."

But Shelby said it's OK if Scouts and leaders "are spiritual, but not religious. Would we kick someone out for being [an atheist]? I don't think so."

In his letter to Democratic Sens. Tom Udall and Jeff Bingaman, and Democratic Rep. Ben Ray Luján, Edelbrock urges them to "take action to make these discriminatory practices illegal."

Edelbrock added that he was proud to be a Boy Scout but believes it is time for the Boy Scouts of America to enter the 21st century.

He has yet to hear back from the lawmakers.