The executive committee of the Boy Scouts of America unanimously approved a resolution to end a ban on gay adult leaders.

"This resolution will allow chartered organizations to select adult leaders without regard to sexual orientation, continuing Scouting's longstanding policy of chartered organizations selecting their leaders," BSA said in a Monday statement.

The National Executive Board is set to meet to ratify the resolution on July 27. It was approved on Friday.

The new resolution comes after BSA president, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, said in a speech that the ban on participation by openly gay adults in the organization was no longer sustainable.

In 2013, the BSA decided to allow openly gay youth as scouts, but not gay adults as leaders.