Mount Diablo-Silverado Council urges Eagle for gay Scout

[RememberSchiff]

Taking local option?

 

"The Mount Diablo-Silverado Boy Scout Council is "directly challenging" the national organization's ban on gay Scouts and leaders and will recommend Andresen attain Eagle, Reuters reported today.

 

The recommendation on the application was forwarded to the national organization for review."

...

But according to national BSA spokesman Deron Smith, neither the local nor national council has given the final approval of the award to Andresen.

 

"The Eagle application was forwarded, by a volunteer, to the local council but it was not approved because this young man proactively stated that he does not agree to Scouting's principle of 'duty of God' and does not meet Scouting's membership requirements," he said in a statement last fall. "Therefore, he is not eligible to receive the rank of Eagle."

...

AT &T CEO Randall Stephenson, an executive board member of the Boy Scouts of America, has said he was committed to ending the ban. He takes over as president in 2014. "

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/gay-teens-application-eagle-scout-award-approved-local/story?id=18162106#.UOynB4Y_k3o

[Horizon]

I remember when this first bubbled up - there was a thread about it. I don't think that we ever found a cite for the claim that he does not follow "Duty to God" though (happy to be corrected on that part). Is he refused for being gay, or refused for being an atheist?

[RememberSchiff]

I wonder...

if more councils will pass similar "approved" Eagle applications along to National?

 

if similar Eagle candidates will state on their college or job applications "Completed Eagle Scout requirements and recommended for Eagle by HisCouncilName Council.", omitting that National rejected them.??

(This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

[Basementdweller]

Horizon here ya go second paragraph down

 

 

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/04/14224160-almost-eagle-scout-denied-award-because-he-is-gay?lite

[vol_scouter]

Note that this occurred in 2011 - not recently. More bad journalism or more to the point stories written to harm the BSA, not to report the news. Journalism appears to be dead in the US.

[Twocubdad]

And General Franco is still dead.

[AlFansome]

 

FWIW, here's a longer article from a local magazine with some background from the family:

 

http://www.diablomag.com/Diablo-Magazine/January-2013/Excluded/

 

 

[Trevorum]

AIFansome, thanks for the link to that local article. Pretty good background.

 

Vol-Scouter, note that this is fairly recent. Although Ryan came out as gay in 2011, he completed the requirements for Eagle just prior to his birthday in October 2012. In the 3 months since then, his story has gained national steam.

 

And, Horizon you appear to be right. According to this article, BSA's charge of his refusal to do his Duty to God came out of left field was was not supported by the facts.

 

The comments from his dad in the final paragraph echo what we've been speculating here in these forums: ,Hopefully, we will see a change in the national policy within five years.

 

[NJCubScouter]

Trevorum: I've been speculating on 20 years, but five would be better.