Archive for Gays
Bullied Gay Scout Delivers 400,000 petitions, offers to stand with Troop against BSA policy
Ryan Andresen, a gay Boy Scout who was kicked out of his local Boy Scout troop and denied his Eagle Scout Award because of his sexual orientation, delivered more than 400,000 petition signatures today to the Mt. Diablo-Silverado Boy Scout Council in Pleasant Hill, urging the Council to allow him to receive his Eagle Award.
Ryan was joined by his mother, Karen Andresen, who started the petition on Change.org urging the Boy Scouts not to deny Ryan his Eagle Award. During the petition delivery event, Ryan and Karen said that it wasn’t fair to punish Ryan because of his sexual orientation — especially after Ryan had given more than 12 years of service to the Boy Scouts and completed all of the requirements necessary to become an Eagle Scout.
“My son Ryan is my hero. He’s so incredibly brave, smart, and talented. It hurts me so much to watch Ryan suffer for being who he is, because to me, he’s perfect,” Andresen said outside of the Mt. Diablo-Silverado Council office this afternoon. “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.”
Ryan’s capstone project involved assembling a “Tolerance Wall” at a local middle school to address bullying. But despite meeting all of the Eagle Scout requirements, officials with the Mt. Diablo-Silverado Council still decided to kick Ryan out of the Scouts because of his sexual orientation.
Ryan said during today’s petition delivery that he was delivering the Change.org petition to the Council’s office not just for him, but for scores of Scouts who have suffered under the Boy Scouts’ ban on gay Scouts and leaders.
“In defending their hurtful policy against gay people, the Boy Scouts are pushing young men like me away– young men who really need the Boy Scouts. I wasn’t the first person to suffer under this policy, and until the Boy Scouts change their policy, I won’t be the last,” Ryan said.
Joining Ryan and his mother at today’s petition delivery were Ryan’s father, Eric Andresen, who resigned a volunteer leadership position with the Boy Scout troop after his son was denied his Eagle Scout Award, as well as Matthew Kimball, a gay Eagle Scout and member of the national group Scouts for Equality, who has been collecting pins from Eagle Scouts in the community to give to Ryan. California Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner was also in attendance, and publicly recognized Ryan for his courage in standing up to the Boy Scouts’ anti-gay policies.
After delivering the 400,000 petition signatures, officials with the Mt. Diablo-Silverado Boy Scout Council met with Ryan and his parents for a short meeting. Earlier this month, officials with the Council sent Ryan a letter telling him that he was being removed from the Boy Scouts’ membership roles because of his sexual orientation. A copy of that letter is publicly available here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/
“This campaign is far from over. We’re going to keep fighting until all wonderful young men like Ryan are treated equally in Scouting,” Karen Andresen said.
Ryan and Karen offered to help the Mt. Diablo-Silverado Council stand up against the national ban on gay Scouts, though for now Council officials told Ryan and Karen that they were planning to stand by the national Boy Scout policy barring gay Scouts from participating.
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Live signature totals from Karen Andresen’s petition:
http://www.change.org/
To view photos of the petition delivery outside of the Mt. Diablo-Silverado Council:
https://www.box.com/s/
Ryan Andresen’s interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show:
http://www.ellentv.com/2012/
NUVO CONDOMS to Sponsor Gay Wedding at NYC Pride – All Expenses Paid
NEW YORK, June 11, 2012 - NuVo Condoms is seeking gay couples who are interested in getting hitched with an all expenses paid wedding at the NYC PrideFest on June 24, 2012. Are you a gay couple that has been looking to tie the knot with your partner? Wait no longer — NuVo Condoms wants you to take the plunge! In honor of the 1st year anniversary of the legalization of gay marriage in New York, NuVo will be sponsoring the FIRST WEDDING ever at PrideFest for one lucky couple.
This is the opportunity of a lifetime to have an all expenses paid wedding at the legendary NYC PrideFest. The Out NYC Hotel, the first gay hotel in NYC, will provide a one-night stay for the couples wedding night. The ceremony at Pridefest will be officiated by Celebrant Kim Kirkleyand include complimentary catering from Markie B’s Jamaican Cuisine of East Elmhurst, N.Y and floral arrangements by Mr. Bokay Flowers. In addition, NuVo Condoms be donating $1,000 to the couple to be put towards the honeymoon of their choice.
Any couple interested in participating in the contest can enter by posting a 60-second video describing why they deserve to be selected to NuVo Condom’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/NuVoCondoms or send an e-mail to nuvo@nuvocondoms.com with a photo of you and your partner along with a brief paragraph on why you should be selected. Please include your contact information- name, phone number and e-mail in case you are selected as the winner! Submission deadline is June 18th at 12PM. The winning applicant will need to obtain a marriage license before the ceremony.
Minnesota Gays and Lesbians: Time to Take Your Family Back
In She Said, She Said #88, Genia and Andrea discuss how the religious right and hate groups have used divide and conquer to take families away from gays and lesbians. It’s time for Minnesota gays and lesbians (and the LGBTQ community everywhere) to stand up and fight back. To defeat the Minnesota same-sex marriage amendment up for vote on the 2012 ballot, gays and lesbians need to have a conversation with their family members and ask them, “Do you really want to make me less equal than other people in the family?”



