Media advisory on petition to end gay scout ban

7/29/2019 Media advisory on petition to end gay scout ban

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Media Advisory for MondayFebruary 4, 2013

CONTACTS:Shareeza Bhola, Communications Manager, Change.org, (202) 684 2552,

[email protected]

***MEDIA ADVISORY***GAY SCOUTS AND LEADERS TO DELIVER 1.4 MILLION SIGNATURES URGING

END OF BOY SCOUTS GAY BAN

Former gay den leader Jennifer Tyrrell, gay Eagle Scout Will Oliver, gayformer Scoutmaster Greg Bourke, and Eric Andresen, father of a gay Scout

denied his Eagle Award, will deliver 1.4 million signatures from their combinedChange.org petitions;

Signatures to be delivered to the Boy Scouts of Americas national office in

Irving, Texas, as the organizations board considers an end to the national ban ongay Scouts and leaders

DALLAS, TX As the national leaders of the Boy Scouts of America gather for anhistoric meeting to discuss an end to the organizations national ban on gay Scoutsand leaders, four Scout leaders whose petitions on Change.org sparked a nationalmovement to end the Scouts anti-gay policy will all travel to Dallas to deliver 1.4million signatures from their combined Change.org petitions.

When: Monday, February 4, 11:00am CTWhere: Boy Scouts of Americas National Headquarters, 1325 West WalnutHill Lane, Irving, Texas 75015Who: Jennifer Tyrrell, an Ohio mom who was ousted as den leader of her 7-year-old sons Cub Scout pack for being gay; Will Oliver, a gay Eagle Scout;Greg Bourke, who was removed as den leader of his sons Boy Scout troopbecause hes gay; and Eric Andresen, father of a gay Boy Scout in Californiawho was denied his Eagle Award because hes gay. All four will read shortstatements at the petition delivery, and take questions from reporters.

Last Monday, the Boy Scouts of America announced that their Board of Directorswould consider a proposal that would allow local Scout councils to determinewhether to accept gay Scouts and gay leaders, a move that would essentially endthe national ban on gay members and leave decisions about inclusion up to local

units.

Tyrrell ignited a national movement last year after she was let go as Den Leader ofher son's Cub Scout pack because she is gay. Working with the Gay & Lesbian

Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), she started a Change.org petitiondemandingthat she be reinstated, garnering more than 330,000 signatures. Sheled a secondChange.org campaignasking the CEOs of Ernst & Young and AT&T, both of whomsit on the board of the Boy Scouts of America, to speak out against the
mailto:[email protected]://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19379&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19378&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19378&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19378&Action=Follow+Linkmailto:[email protected]://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19379&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19378&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19378&Action=Follow+Link


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organizations ban on gay Scouts and leaders.

Andresen will present Change.org petition signatures on behalf of his son, Ryan,who in October 2012 was told that he could not receive his Eagle Scout awardbecause of his sexual orientation. Ryans story became a national phenomenon, and

he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show with his mother, Karen, to speak outagainst the Boy Scouts ban on gay Scouts and leaders.

Bourke, who will travel to Dallas with his partner and their two children, will presentsignatures from his Change.org petition, which he started after he was removed asthe Assistant Scoutmaster for the Lincoln Heritage Council in Louisville, Kentucky,because of his sexual orientation.

Will Oliver, a 20-year-old gay Eagle Scout, will present signatures from hisChange.org petition, which earlier this year called on the National GeographicChannel to speak out against the Boy Scouts of Americas anti-gay policy. The

channel is slated to air Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout? this spring inpartnership with the Boy Scouts of America.

These petitions, plus more than 50 others that have been started on Change.orgurging the Boy Scouts to end their national ban on gay Scouts and leaders, totalmore than 1.4 million signatures.

More than 1 million people have joined Change.org campaigns urging the BoyScouts of America to end their national anti-gay policy, and today, those signers areseeing their work and their support delivered right to the Boy Scouts of America, forone final push as the Boy Scout board determines the future of the organization,"said Mark Anthony Dingbaum, senior campaign manager at Change.org. JenniferTyrrell, Will Oliver, Greg Bourke, and the Andresen family have proven that long-standing institutions of discrimination are no match for cutting-edge online tools andpowerful storytelling."

"Millions have been moved to speak out in favor of ending the anti-gay ban fromacross religions, race, and political backgrounds including current scouts andcorporate sponsors," said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick. "While an end to theban will strengthen scouting and stop the harm it caused to so many young gaypeople, the campaign for change will continue until the national policy is one whereevery young gay person is allowed to participate."

"This is an historic day for Scouting," said Zach Wahls, Eagle Scout and founder ofScouts for Equality. "We will continue to work with the BSA to implement further non-discrimination measures and bring them into line with the giving requirements fortheir corporate donors. We all want a healthy, vibrant Scouting movement that canfoster lifelong values and principles in our next generation of leaders--with malicetoward none, with charity for all."
http://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19377&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19376&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19376&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19375&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19375&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19374&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19377&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19376&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19376&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19375&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19375&Action=Follow+Linkhttp://changeorg.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3D8%2B43%3A3-%3ELCE1744490-GLCE17.6&RE=MC&RI=2179186&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=19374&Action=Follow+Link


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Journalists interested in setting up an interview with Jennifer Tyrrell, Eric Andresen,Greg Bourke, or Will Oliver should use the contact information at the top of the page.Wahls, who founded Scouts for Equalityafter launching his own Change.org petitioncalling for the Boy Scouts Board of Directors to vote on ending the anti-gay ban, is

available in New York City to speak with journalists interested in covering the BoyScouts historic vote.

Live signature totals from Change.org petitions targeting the Boy Scouts ofAmerica:http://www.change.org/boyscouts

Journalists interested in contacting Boy Scouts of America leadership shouldtry:

Deron Smith

Public Relations,Boy Scouts of [email protected](972) 580-7848

For more information on Change.org, please visit:http://www.change.org/aboutChange.org is the world's largest petition platform, empowering people everywhereto create the change they want to see. There are more than 20 million users in 196countries who use our tools to transform their communities locally, nationally andglobally.

For more information on GLAAD, please visit:http://www.glaad.orgThe Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of theLGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding themedia accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassrootsorganizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT peopleare heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increasesacceptance, and advances equality. For more information, please visithttp://glaad.orgor connect with GLAAD athttp://glaad.org/connect.

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If you would rather not receive future communications from Change.org, let us know by clickinghere.Change.org, the world's largest petition platform has offices in more than 20 countries, including Australia, Britain,Canada, France, India, Spain and the United States
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Media advisory on petition to end gay scout ban

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