Trail Life USA starts own scouting group Jan. 1, opposes Boy Scouts policy on gay membership

An organization billing itself as a Christian alternative to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) said it had close to 500 troops — including several from Alabama such as First Baptist Church, Pelham — preparing for its Jan. 1 launch. The new group, Trail Life USA, was created by OnMyHonor.net, which opposed the BSA’s policy change May 2013 that permitted…