Rick Perry may have hipper glasses and a more lenient attitude towards pot these days, but he’s not backing down on the topic of gay Boy Scout leaders.

The group is about to officially change its long-controversial ban on openly gay leaders.

During an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday, host Chuck Todd asked Perry to respond to a passage he once wrote opposing gay Scout leaders: "Openly active gays, particular advocates, present a problem, because gay activism is central to their lives. It would unavoidably be a topic of conversation within a scout troop. This would distract from the mission of scouting: character building, not sex education."

"Do you still stand by that statement?" Todd asked.

"I do," Perry replied. "I believe that scouting would be better off, if they didn't have openly gay scoutmasters."

Watch below, via NBC: