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Boy Scouts and Their Families Deliver 1.4 Million Signatures to BSA Headquarters Demanding an End to ‘No Gays’ Policy

Feb. 4, 2013 4:05pm Billy Hallowell

Boy Scouts and Their Families Deliver 1.4 Million Signatures Demanding an End to No Gays Policy

Jennifer Tyrrell, former Cub Scout Den Mom, and Will Oliver, Eagle Scout, address the media after delivering boxes containing 1.4 million signatures urging the Boy Scouts of America to reverse the organization’s ban on LGBT Scouts on February 4, 2013 in Irving, Texas. Credit: Getty Images

The battle over the Boy Scouts of America ban on gay members and leaders forges on, with both sides of the debate digging in their heels. Last week, news broke and TheBlaze subsequently confirmed that the organization is considering lifting its controversial restriction. Following this development, Scouts and their families have delivered a petition to the organization’s headquarters, urging an end to a policy that has kept gay scouts and leaders from officially participating in the organization.

They say the petition delivered Monday in Irving, Texas, includes 1.4 million signatures. Scouting leaders are expected to consider ending the ban during a three-day meeting this week, so that timing of the petition if pertinent. This latest effort, which adds to the case that gays should be allowed into the group, will likely rile conservative members who are closely eyeing which side the Scout’s national board aligns with.

Jennifer Tyrrell was among the dozen people who delivered the petition. Tyrrell says she was forced out as leader of her son’s Cub Scout pack because she’s gay, and she doesn’t want to see any other parents treated in the same way. She says the policy is “archaic” and needs to change.

Last Monday, the Scouts issued a response to TheBlaze surrounding the controversial policy. The organization admitted that the regulation is under review and explained the rationale behind potentially abandoning it, essentially claiming that an end to it would allow local groups to have more control over membership rules.

“Currently, the BSA is discussing potentially removing the national membership restriction regarding sexual orientation,” the statement read. “This would mean there would no longer be any national policy regarding sexual orientation, but that the chartered organizations that oversee and deliver Scouting would accept membership and select leaders consistent with their organization’s mission, principles or religious beliefs.”

(L-R) Eric Andresen, former Scout leader, Will Oliver, Eagle Scout, Jennifer Tyrrell, former Cub Scout Den Mother, and Greg Bourke, former Assistant Scoutmaster, deliver boxes containing 1.4 million signatures urging the Boy Scouts of America to reverse the organization’s ban on LGBT Scouts on February 4, 2013 in Irving, Texas. The BSA national council announced they were considering to leave the decision of inclusion of gays to the local unit level. U.S. President Barack Obama urged the organization to end a ban on gays. Credit: Getty Images

The national Boy Scouts organization said that it would not mandate a method of handling the issue from the top, thus leaving local groups the flexibility to accept or reject gay members and leaders.

The families who delivered today’s petition were waiting for a representative of Boy Scouts of America to come and accept their petition at the time that this article was written.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Related:

Report: Boy Scouts Could End Ban on Gay Members and Leaders Next Week

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Comments (406)

maflo96
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:46pm
Wow. Lets see.. gay men and boys with other boys on a camping trip and American fathers are ok with this? Yep, we are officially sick here in America!! Here’s another great idea..Homosexuals in Pro- Football..Really!!?? The United States of Sodom and Gommorah. As a former pro- athlete I would have a big problem with some homosexual checking out my naked **** in the shower. We are literally throwing our morals and our children to the wolves. I was actually wanting to enlist my son as a boyscout….it will never happen now! So forget about the next Jerry Rice and let’s raise up the next Jerry Sandusky. The Devil is laughing his **** off right now..really, I can hear him! I pray for the souls of all 1.4 million lunatics or maybe that’s just the gay population of San Fran. The Christians who support this is even more depraved…oh wait they’re not Christians at all. I guess if we cant kill them through abortion we’ll just throw them to the immoral zombies to just have their way with them. We get what we ‘voted’ for!! God have mercy on us all.

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Pat Alexander
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:46pm
This reminds me of the old joke:

A guy asks another guy: “If you woke up in the woods and your pants were down around your ankles and your rear end hurt, would you tell anyone?”

“No.”

“Want to go camping?”

Seriously, if they succeed – it will be the end of the scouts.

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jose wasabi
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:41pm
I was a Boy Scout and eventually a Scoutmaster when my two boys joined the Boy Scouts. I think this is a huge mistake, and I would have taken my kids out of scouting had this happened when they were involved.

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Codger
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:39pm
Considering Boy Scout membership is less than 1,000,000 members in 2012, how in the he!! did they come up with 1.4 million signatures. Something smells fishy.

Scout Law – A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.

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PapaJohannesPatriot
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:28pm
If they cave in to the homosexual interests, I guess they’ll have to reword the Scout Oath.
Instead of “morally straight” maybe something like “morally wishy washy.”

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MTNative
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:21pm
Some may wonder what the big deal is if the scouts allow local groups to make their own decision concerning accepting homosexual members and leaders. I can tell you that my religiously based local troop will not. So what is the problem? The problem is that we fund raise for BSA and that money will then go to support something we do not. In addition it means we would no longer participate in multi-troop functions with troops outside our church groups. The funding for BSA will dry up and the large activities will go away. Soon the fracture will be so bad that BSA will no longer exist.
I also want to know how BSA is going to change the Scout Oath
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.

I guess a more progressive definition of morally straight could be made. When I went through scouting I always understood “morally straight”

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- MTNative
  Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:36pm
  Sorry, got interrupted. When I was in scouting I always thought I understood what “morally straight” meant and I’m not just talking about homosexuality but any kind of pre-marital garbage that we are now accepting. Morally straight could also refer not to sexual morals (but I’m pretty sure that was in the intent) but being moral in our dealings with our fellow men. Whatever the case, if they change they will have to make the oath more clear as to what they want it to mean. And so we see a great organization on the edge of falling into the crapper.
  
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Zod Cranards
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:21pm
They won’t stop till every institution in America’s been defiled.

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Chuck T
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:20pm
The BSA might seriously want to cross-check this petition against demoncrat voter rolls…and cemeteries.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/02/04/boy-scouts-and-their-families-deliver-1-4-million-signatures-to-bsa-headquarters-demanding-an-end-to-no-gays-policy/

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neverending
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:16pm
If BSA yields to this – it will be just another destruction of a once very worthwhile organization. They change it they may as well call it NAMBLA 2. Just another reflection from the commie in chief.

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vaman
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:16pm
Every day the world becomes a little better. 1.4 million people have agreed. The “conservative” and his outdated, flawed belief system is falling apart right before his eyes and nothing can be done to salvage it. Join the rest of society and embrace equality or live like the muslims and live in a dead past. This all ties in to religion, just like everything else “conservatives” have problems with. Radical christians are a plague, but thankfully lose more and more relevance every day.

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- maflo96
  Posted on February 4, 2013 at 6:04pm
  It is written in that bible that people like you and the rest of the immoral walking dead would crave perversion like this.” What is right will be considered wrong and wrong considered right”. This has absolutely nothing to do with equality but mental depravity. Maybe we can get equal rights for farmers who screw their sheep, Tree lovers who want to marry oaks, or how about those who have an alien love child. Where does it end? I’ll tell you! It ends with God not religion. I’d like to see your smug cynical and probably gay face when you discover that there is a real God named Jesus Christ and He wont be too happy. Hell fire has a way of changing perception. Be thankful that He is gracious and merciful now but when He comes back… its too late.
  
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txbigfoot
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:14pm
What part of the Boy Scout oath being Morally straight do sodomist agree with?
Why do sodomist want to be part of an organization that says they are wrong?
Let them start their own gay groups. Stop messing with ours.

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awayyougo
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:12pm
Oh btw, I guess the Bible is archaic now! Toss it and forget it. Well I can promise you me and my family will serve the LORD! Jesus Christ!

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awayyougo
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:10pm
Well I was going to get my kid involved in boy scouts this year I guess we will have to do something else. Getting real sick of this country, no one stands up for anything anymore. We are becoming a country of sissy’s who are afraid of our own shadow. GRRRRRR!

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- vaman
  Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:21pm
  Actually it’s the total opposite of every word you just said. Non fundamentalist are standing up for real freedom, not religious based freedom which is the farthest thing from true and actual freedom and the American way. I’m sorry you and your kind refuse to embrace change or at least be part of the discussion. Instead, you choose to be an obstructionist, a complainer who is so closed minded, with myopic thinking that is controlled by your church, that you refuse to see how inclusion is a good thing.
  
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LemonyFresh
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:10pm
This already has a name NAMBLA…

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KingDork
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:09pm
the day the BSA drop their values to what is “Trendy” is the day I put my eagle scout badge away and disown it.

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1HonestInjun
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:09pm
I bet there are a hundreds of priests who would like to be scout leaders. Isn’t there any sanity “left”
in this world?

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avgconservative
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:08pm
I’ve spoken with a leader who says the national headquarters has received 10x more emails, letters, and phone calls against the gay leadership proposal.

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- vaman
  Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:23pm
  So they have received over 10 million “against” communications? No they haven’t. Just stop.
  
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- freebornpatriot
  Posted on February 4, 2013 at 6:06pm
  The lines to the BSA national executive committee have been overwhelmed. The callers are redirected into a full voice mail box. Most of us in the field had no idea that we were the current target of the Homosexual lobby. So, no, there haven’t been 10mm communications against the change. There hasn’t been time. And to be fair, the homosexuals had a head start on the battle for numbers. There is no legitimate comparison in this Nimrod’s argument.
  
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Teufel Hunden
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:07pm
WOW!!! 1.4 million gay scouts armed with petitions! The only scouts who want to admit gays into their ranks are other gay scouts and gay scout leaders. Gays do not belong in the Boy Scouts or the Military!

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BillyPenn
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:06pm
I would hope that no parent(s) would allow their young boy(s) to join an organization in which
it’s local leaders show a proclivity for the meat whistle.

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Disgusted_in_CT
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:06pm
BSA if you bow down to this you are done.
You will have compremised your values and morals.
Don’t back down!

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dnewton
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:04pm
http://www.worldviewweekend.com/radio/audio/crosstalk-january-31-2013 Here is a fairly good discussion of the problem and it puts the ratio of pedophiles higher than 33%. 53 min.

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ustake2
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:00pm
Parents have a choice, if this goes against their beliefs, they will have to look for other options for their children, such as activities through their church, or other organizations such as Royal Ambassadors. Churches and others that support BSA will also have to make a choice on whether to continue to support them.

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grimmster
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:00pm
!.4 million signatures my as, from fagg groups maybe……..

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T-2
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 4:58pm
why don’t these people start their own group of gay scouts?

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- strawberry411a
  Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:10pm
  Because the point is not joining the scouts. The point is DESTROYING them.
  
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- neverending
  Posted on February 4, 2013 at 5:14pm
  @STRAWBERRY411A – You are exactly right!
  
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- bdandsl
  Posted on February 4, 2013 at 6:16pm
  Because, just like the lesbians in WA filing charges against the bakery, it is all about power and control. To force their morality on all of us!
  
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smwk
Posted on February 4, 2013 at 4:57pm
I’d like to hear how many petitions they have received to KEEP the current policy… I know I’ve signed a few!

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