Gay teen denied Eagle Scout submits petition asking Boy Scouts to change policy

Dan82 · Oct 20, 2012

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_21804993/moraga-gay-teen-gathers-400-000-signatures-petition

A gay teenager denied his Eagle Scout award because of his sexuality turned in an online petition with more than 400,000 signatures Wednesday urging the National Boy Scouts of America to change its policies against allowing gay members.

Ryan Andresen of Moraga marched into the front office of the Mt. Diablo Silverado Council on Ellinwood Way along with his parents and a former member of the same Boy Scout troop who came out as gay two weeks ago. Assemblymember Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, also attended and presented Andresen with a resolution honoring his achievements with the Boy Scouts.

"It went about as expected," the 18-year-old said of the meeting with Alan T. Young, the program director for the Council, which oversees Andresen's troop. "I did get a chance to ask what I wanted. I didn't choose my sexuality, just like he didn't choose his. So I asked what made me any less adequate than him. He didn't answer. That says a lot."

Andresen collected 410,564 signatures on an online petition his mother, Karen, posted on Change.org after her son, a student at Maybeck High School in Berkeley, was denied Eagle Scout status after revealing he is gay. Young did not address the media directly, but his office issued a statement that said Andresen was denied his Eagle Scout status because "he does not subscribe to (Boy Scouts') Declaration of Religious Principle' and does not meet Scouting's membership standard on sexual orientation. The (Boy Scouts) values the freedom of everyone to express their opinion and believes to disagree does not mean to disrespect...

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_21804993/moraga-gay-teen-gathers-400-000-signatures-petition
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Chip · Oct 20, 2012

I particularly like how these asshats are continuing to hang their justification for not giving the Eagle to Andresen because he "doesn't meet the religious principles" when Andresen made it clear he *does* have religious beliefs that fit in with the Boy Scouts' motto.

And... tell me that there aren't a bazillion Eagle Scouts who happen to be straight who were known to be agnostic or athiest, but nobody cared. This is simply bigotry, hiding under another name.

Gay teen denied Eagle Scout submits petition asking Boy Scouts to change policy

Dan82
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Gay teen denied Eagle Scout submits petition asking Boy Scouts to change policy

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