Leaders in the movement to end the Boy
Scouts of America's (BSA) ban on openly gay scouts and leaders on
Monday delivered more than 1.4 million signatures to the
organization.
The BSA's national board will consider
ending the ban and allowing local chapters to decide the issue at its
regularly scheduled meeting, which began on Monday.
(Related: Boy
Scouts mull ending gay ban.)
The signatures, which have been
combined from four Change.org petitions, were delivered by gay former
den leader Jennifer Tyrrell, gay former Scoutmaster Greg Bourke and
his family, gay Eagle Scout Will Oliver and his two straight Eagle
Scout brothers, and Eric Andresen, father of Ryan Andresen.
Stacks of boxes labeled “1.4 Million
Urge Boy Scouts to End Ban on Gay Scouts and Leaders” were
delivered outside the Boy Scouts National Headquarters in Dallas,
Texas, where the organization's board is meeting.
“Today, I'm helping deliver more than
1.4 million Change.org petition signatures to the Boy Scouts of
America, urging the national board to end the ban on gay youth and
parents, and give me the opportunity to once again serve my son's
Club Scout Pack,” said
Tyrrell. “I do not want one more mother or father to have to
look their child in the eyes and tell them that their parents aren't
good enough – or are different. The Boy Scouts of America can do
better than that.”
Tyrrell launched her Change.org
petition in April after she was ousted as den leader of her son's Boy
Scout troop because she is a lesbian.
(Related: Boy
Scouts “fire” den leader Jennifer Tyrrell for being gay.)
“I want to tell the BSA that my son
Ryan is not inferior and that no parent should ever have to go
through delivering devastating news like I had to deliver to my son,”
said Andresen. “I pray that the BSA national board starts to
understand this, and acts quickly to make the incredible scouting
journey open to all young men across America.” (Video from the
event is embedded on this page. Visit our video library for more
videos.)
Ryan Andresen was denied an Eagle Scout
award after he completed the work needed to earn it because he is
gay.
(Related: Ryan
Andresen, gay Boy Scout denied award, says leader ignoring him.)
The board is expected to vote on the
proposal by Wednesday.