Amazon, the world's largest online
retailer, is being asked to withdraw its support of the Boy Scouts of
America (BSA) over the group's policy banning opening gay leaders.
While the BSA ended its ban on openly
gay scouts in January, anyone over 18 who is gay may not participate
in the organization.
Last week, the policy forced out
Scoutmaster Geoff McGrath, prompting Pascal Tessier, considered the
country's first openly gay Eagle Scout, to ask Amazon to end its
support of the BSA.
(Related: Pascal
Tessier: First openly gay Eagle Scout.)
“The Boy Scouts of America just fired
Scoutmaster Geoff McGrath for being gay,” Tessier, who is 17, wrote
in a
Change.org petition that has accumulated nearly 30,000 signatures
in just 2 days. “Despite that, Amazon continues to support the BSA
through its Amazon Smiles program. Geoff is an Eagle Scout, a
husband and the founder of two Scouting units in underserved
neighborhoods.”
“By removing Geoff, the BSA is
depriving the youth in these units of the opportunity to be a Scout
and they are telling all their youth that discrimination is okay.”
“That's a harmful message for all
youth,” Tessier concluded, “gay and straight alike and it has no
place in Scouting.”