Ryan Andresen, Gay Teen, Denied Eagle Scout Honor

By Erin Sherbert Fri., Oct. 5 2012 at 8:23 AM

Categories: LGBT

Eagle Scout Ryan

Sadly, the Boy Scouts of America are once again proudly wearing their badge of intolerance. A Moraga Eagle Scout is being denied a top honor simply because he is gay.

ABC News brings us the perplexing story about 17-year-old Ryan Andresen, who worked hard toward his dream of becoming an Eagle Scout -- he earned all the badges needed and recently finished his final project. Ironically enough, that project was a tolerance wall made out of tiles with anti-bullying messages, which hangs inside his school.

Sounds like a model scout, right?

Well, the Boy Scouts of America don't think so. According to ABC, the Eagle Scouts are denying the teen Eagle Scout status after learning about his sexuality. Nobody in Troop 212 will talk to the press, however, Scout executive John Fenoglio released a statement, which explained that Ryan "does not meet Scouting's membership standard on sexual orientation."

Ryan's mother, Karen, is hoping to convince the organization to change its anti-gay policy; she started a petition on Change.org, which has already garnered tens of thousands of signatures.

According to mom:

It hurts me so much to watch Ryan suffer for being who he is, because to me, he's perfect. Ryan has worked for nearly 12 years to become an Eagle Scout, and nothing would make him more proud than earning that well-deserved distinction. I hope that if enough people come together, we can convince my son's troop leaders to help him feel proud of who he is and all he's accomplished.

If you think Ryan deserves his Eagle Scout honor, then feel free to sign here.

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Tags:

badge of intolerance, Eagle Scouts, gay teen, Ryan Andresen

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meatsack

I hate to say it, but it is a private organization, they have every right to do as they wish.

In a somewhat greater picture, the right complains that all of these private groups are going to be litigated into accepting leftist orthodoxy. The left says no, churches will not have to perform gay weddings, then the left litigates away as people have done around the scouts in the past.

As a more libertarian person I could careless what you are up to, but I also think that your private organization should be able to do it's own thing. Why would you want to belong to a group that denies part of one of the most important things that you are? I suppose I can understand it when you are a kid, but here in SF David Campos identifies as catholic. So strange.

This time around the mother is trying to use public pressure to change things instead of calling in the lawyers.

Chimtin

1 Like

@meatsack

A private organization is not exempt from criticism anymore than a private person would be. No one is necessarily arguing for a legal remedy, so long as the organization is not open to the public or using public facilities. But, just because you may acknowledge something is legal, it doesn't make it moral, nor does it make it above criticism. Moreover, we all have the freedome of expression, and that includes the freedome to voice our disagreement and disapproval.

Public pressure on private organizations or prviate persons is perfectly acceptable, and it has nothing to do with libertarian philosophy which is concerned with government and its laws dictating how others should behave. A free society means you are free to express your criticism of other people and of organizations, and they are free to ignore it or not.

meatsack

@Chimtin

Are you the guy who sits around your friends at the coffee shopee pontificating?

KMA966

When I was in the Boy Scouts, "Morally straight" meant to be true to yourself and honest in your dealings with others. The words MORALLY and ETHICALLY were interchangeable. Then the Mormons hijacked the BSA and well, the rest is a sad commentary on our society's plunge back to the middle ages. Albert Einstein stated it perfectly, "Religion is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions."