Words fail.

A committee studying whether the Boy Scouts of America should let gay children be Scouts and gay and lesbian adults be Scout leaders has wrapped up its work - begun in 2010. And yesterday, it announced its decision.

The Scouts will continue to discriminate.

No gays and lesbians allowed.

The decision puts the Boy Scouts of America on the side of bigotry - and, whether the Scouts like this reminder or not, it gives cover and comfort to the bullies who mock and attack gays and lesbians.

The Scouts organization should be roundly, and publicly, opposed by everybody interested in equal rights, by everybody concerned about the pain the LGBT community continues to suffer from the hostility of homophobic bigotry. And the churches, school districts, and other institutions that provide meeting space for Scout troops should stop offering that shelter.