After a two-year-long court battle, records kept by the Boy Scouts of America on suspected child abusers have been released online. The records were kept from 1965 to 1985 and contain the names of men who were banned from volunteering with the Boy Scouts after they were accused of abusing the young men entrusted to them. The so-called "perversion files" also contain the names of men banned on suspicion of being gay.

While the Boy Scouts did ban the abusers, the organization did not report the incidences to authorities and many of the men named in these documents have never been prosecuted for their alleged crimes. In fact, the Boy Scouts even fought with the courts to keep these records private. They are only now being released following Oregon's Supreme Court rule against the organization.

The records are searchable by city, state, date or accused's name; all the alleged victims' names have been redacted. You can view them here, but know that the site is running slowly, presumably due to a deluge of traffic.

For years, the Boy Scouts of America has argued against allowing gay men to participate, claiming they are protecting young boys from molestation. Job well done.

[Image via AP]