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发帖数: 4174 | 1 http://www.advocate.com/society/youth/2012/06/06/boy-scouts-con
The Boy Scouts confirmed today that it is considering a change of policy
that lets gay scouts and leaders serve openly in local chapters.
The announcement comes after activist Zach Wahls delivered 275,000 petition
signatures to the group and met with its leadership. Wahls, an Eagle Scout
who has two moms, was outraged that a lesbian mother had been removed as den
leader for a Cub Scout troop. And he got back into his uniform and
delivered the petition on her behalf last week.
"I love the organization and I refuse to stand by idly as it forfeits its
cultural relevancy at the very moment this country needs it most," said
Wahls, author of My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a
Family.
Ohioan Jennifer Tyrrell was a volunteer for her 7-year-old son's troop and
said that after a year of service she lost the post and had her membership
revoked "just because I happen to be gay." Tyrrell was told that being gay
meant she did "not meet the high standards of membership that the BSA seeks."
Now nearly 300,000 people have signed Tyrrell's petition on Change.org. And
that includes a growing list of celebrities such as The Hunger Games's Josh
Hutcherson, singer Ricky Martin and Glee's Dianna Agron.
A spokesman for the Boy Scouts said a resolution on the change was submitted
by a Scout leader in April, before Wahls's visit, and it will now be
considered by a committee. He emphasized that similar resolutions has been
considered in the past, as early as 2000.
If the policy change is approved this time, the Boy Scouts wouldn't make any
change until 2013, but Tyrrell said in reaction that it "is definitely a
huge step in the right direction."
"I was heartbroken," Tyrrell said of losing her job a den leader. "But the
blow was softened by the outpouring of support I received from my community
and the parents of the boys I had dedicated myself to. I know if it was up
to my community, I'd still be a Cub Scout Den Leader today." |
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