Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank
17-year-old Ryan Andresen is another victim of Boy Scouts of America’s controversial anti-gay policy. “It was by far the biggest goal of my life. It’s totally devastating.”
Ryan Andresen of Troop 212 in Morgara, Calif., has been a Boy Scout for 12 years. He stayed with the organization even after coming out as gay at 16. But he was denied the chance to rise rank to an Eagle Scout.
The Boy Scouts of America’s decision was consistent with its “Youth Leadership” policy statement: “In the unlikely event that an older boy were to hold himself out as homosexual, he would not be able to continue in a youth leadership position.”
Andresen told Yahoo! his scoutmaster knew he was gay.
Andresen’s project to become an Eagle Scout involved building a Tolerance Wall at a middle school. He collected 288 ceramic tiles with anti-bullying messages.
Andresen’s mother has now set up a Change.org petition to urge individual troops to reject the Boy Scouts’ policy.
As of Friday afternoon, there were more than 143,500 signatures.
HOT ON
More Buzz
- austinalexandert thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is OMG, WTF & Fail
- Aaron C. Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank
- TrippinOnStars Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s Fail & Ew
- ak4d7 Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s WTF & Fail
- lizzl Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s Fail & WTF
- Adam M. thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is WTF
- Eduardo M. Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank
- berenice thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Shocking & Fail
- blairu Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank
- Ryan L thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Trashy & WTF
-
benjaminc5 8 months agoWhat did you expect? They are run by the LDS. It’d really be news if they promoted a gay boy scout. That’d be something.
-
- katelynkellyo Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank
-
- Judd Hayes thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is OMG, WTF & Fail
- pepperrush thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Fail
- nomejuzgues thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Fail
- barnapkins Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank
-
- taurusfloyd Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank
- r0xmyface0ff Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s Fail & WTF
- Lolhelper Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s WTF & Fail
- Kellbott thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Ew
- cassandra909 thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Fail
- shawng9 thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Cray & Fail
-
-
shalalalalauooo 8 months agoIt seems he has spent most of his life being part of that organization (he’s 17 and has been a BS for 12 years) and he enjoys being there. Besides, we can’t really expect people being discriminated to isolate themselves from a bigot society. We need to change that society.
-
- JP Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank
- Carlosknightiii Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s Fail & WTF
- justginny thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Fail
- silverhellion Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s Shocking, Fail & WTF
- rhpiske91187 Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s WTF
- jessamynw thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Fail & WTF
- Martha S. thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Fail & WTF
- calli441 Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s WTF & OMG
- mariannen thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is WTF, Fail & OMG
- benr11 thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Fail & WTF
-
- ladypaddlesnooker Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s WTF
- angelamariem2 thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Fail
- loloandrew11 Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s WTF
- chisohawa Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s Fail
- Jyl thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Shocking, Fail & WTF
- danf17 thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is WTF
- nesfe219 thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Shocking, Win & OMG
- Heather Heaton Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s Fail
-
davidw15 8 months agoJfw3: I am an Eagle Scout, and my father was my Scoutmaster/Troop Committee Chairman. My dad is one of the most respected and morally upright men I have ever known. My dad is also a lifelong atheist, which didn’t deter our local Boy Scout Troop (sponsored by our LDS Church congregation) from accepting (and very much appreciating) his volunteer work for over a decade. It is his superior example that made me begin questioning the claims of my religion. I am now an atheist as well, and there are more of us in America than there are Mormons. Certainly we deserve an equal place at the table, as do gays. Our respective minorities have proven ourselves worthy of full fellowship in the BSA, not that we should have to, since countless other worldviews were not required to pass such a test. The Boy Scouts of America is not a private organization. It receives tax exemptions and federal benefits that private citizens do not enjoy. The least that this gov’t-supported organization should do, for a young man who has fulfilled ALL the requirements, is to acknowledge his equality of achievement with his peers. Ryan Anderson, for his sexual honesty alone, is better than most of the men who preside over him. He’s better than you, too. Seriously. It’s 2012, asshole, and the majority of American taxpayers are now okay with gays. You’re out of excuses, and if the best you can muster is an argument from popularity (one of the basic logical fallacies), then you’re done. Time to grow up, Tenderfoot.
-
- torsl965 thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Fail
-
- dotdapple Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s Fail & WTF
- BCarter3 thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is WTF & Fail
- eliztesch Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank
- judy thinks Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank is Fail & Win
- superliberal944 Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s Fail & WTF
- Karleetyler Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank
- kristi5578 Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank and thinks it’s Fail
- whitleycovi Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Scout Rank
-
-
Jessica Wilson 8 months ago
I am so embarrassed to be from Moraga. This young man and his family are incredible, and I can not fathom how one man could be so ignorant, close minded, and selfish.
-
-
-
-
-
goonda61 8 months ago
I see how this is extremely discriminatory. But, who cares? First of all this kid wants to be part of an organization that discriminates. Why does he even want to be part of such an organization? If he doesn’t meet the requirements of this organization why should he be promoted? Yeah, having a requirement of being strait is pretty stupid, but that’s their requirements. I can’t take a 300 level course if I don’t have the pre-requisite. I understand this is different, but the principle is the same. This isn’t a government funded organization. So the public has no say in the boy scout matters. Yeah, it’s stupid they don’t accept homosexual’s, but it’s a private organization and they can do what they want.
-
-
-
Special Reactions
Your Reaction?
GET STARTED