Mitt Romney once agreed with former Cub
Scouts den leader Jennifer Tyrrell, who wants the Boys Scouts of
American (BSA) to accept openly gay leaders and scouts.
The 32-year-old Ohio mother has
launched a Change.org
campaign to bring awareness to the policy after she was removed
from her volunteer position because she failed to meet the
group's “high standards of conduct” in relation to her being in a
5 year relationship with another woman.
In a statement released Wednesday, the
Boy Scouts of America reiterated its opposition to gay leaders and
scouts.
“Scouting, and the majority of
parents it serves, does not believe it is the right forum for
children to become aware of the issue of sexual orientation, or
engage in discussions about being gay,” the group said. “Rather,
such complex matters should be discussed with parents, caregivers, or
spiritual advisers, at the appropriate time and in the right
setting.”
In a clip released Thursday by the Gay
and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), then-Senate
candidate Romney, who served on the National Executive Board of the
Boy Scouts for a decade, states that gay people should be allowed to
participate in the Boy Scouts.
“I believe that the Boy Scouts of
America does a wonderful service for this country,” Romney said.
“I support the right of the Boy Scouts of America to decide what it
wants to do on that issue. I feel that all people should be allowed
to participate in the Boy Scouts regardless of their sexual
orientation.” (The video is embedded in the right panel of this
page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
(Related: George
Takei criticizes Boy Scouts for excluding lesbian mom Jennifer
Tyrrell.)