Timeline 2012 - 2013: America Asks the Boy Scouts to Become Inclusive
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Timeline 2012 - 2013: America Asks the Boy Scouts to Become Inclusive Tuesday, April 10: Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell is removed as den leader of her son's Cub Scout pack simply for being gay. Tuesday, April 17: GLAAD joins Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell to call for her reinstatement and an end to the Boy Scouts of America's discriminatory ban on gay scouts and LGBT leaders. http://www.glaad.org/releases/glaad-joins-ohio-mom-jennifer-tyrrell-calling-boy-scouts-america- enddiscriminatory-rules Tuesday, April 17: Supporters of Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell march in peaceful protest calling for her reinstatement as a leader in her son's Boy Scouts troop after she was removed because she it gay. http://www.glaad.org/blog/ohio-boy-scouts-chapter-removes-gay-mom-protest-happening-today Thursday, April 19: Michelangelo Signorile reports that James Beard Foundation president Susan Ungaro will return an award she accepted from the BSA after learning of its discriminatory policy banning gay scouts and LGBT leaders. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelangelo- signorile/james- beardfoundation-pr_b_1439135.html Saturday, April 21: A Change.org petition supporting Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell and calling for an end to the BSA's discriminatory ban on gay scouts and LGBT leaders reaches more than 100,000 signatures. http://www.glaad.org/blog/more-100000-people-support-gay-mom-ousted-boy-scouts Jennifer and her family speak onstage at the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles. Celebrities including Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games), Benicio del Toro, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Lisa Vanderpump sign her Change.org petition. http://www.glaad.org/releases/cher-presents-award-chaz-bono-benicio- deltoro-presents-josh-hutcherson-23rd-annual-glaad Tuesday, April 24: CNN's LZ Granderson breaks news that the Boy Scouts of America will reaffirm its discriminatory policy that led to the ousting of Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell as scout leader of her son's Boy Scouts troop because she's gay. Several members of Jennifer's troop speak to CNN.com in support of Jennifer. BSA leaders refuse to meet with Tyrrell. http://www.glaad.org/blog/boy-scouts- reaffirmdiscriminatory-policy-refuse-meeting-jennifer-tyrrell Wednesday, April 25: Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell and her 7-year-old son Cruz speak to Kyra Phillips on CNN Newsroom. http://www.glaad.org/blog/ousted-boy-scouts-leader-jennifer-tyrrell-and-son- areinterviewed-cnn Thursday, April 26: GLAAD releases video footage and reports that Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney said in a 1994 debate that he supports an end to the BSA's discriminatory ban on gay scouts and LGBT leaders. http://www.glaad.org/blog/republican-presidential-candidate-mitt-romney- gaypeople-should-be-able-serve-boy-scouts 1 Thursday, April 26: MSNBC's Thomas Roberts speaks to ousted Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell, joined by her son Cruz, and GLAAD president Herndon Graddick about the call for an end to the BSA's discriminatory ban on gay scouts and LGBT leaders. http://www.glaad.org/blog/ousted-boy-scout- mommsnbc Friday, April 27: David J. Sims, board member of the BSA's Ohio River Valley Council announces his resignation in support of Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell who was ousted from her son's Boy Scouts troop because she is gay. http://www.glaad.org/blog/boy-scouts-america-board-member-resigns-support- gayohio-mom Monday, May 7: GLAAD launches a Mother's Day campaign urging celebrities and others to support Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell and call for equality in the Boy Scouts. http://www.glaad.org/mothersday Tuesday, May 8: The L.A. Times reports that California lawmakers dismissed a resolution honoring the BSA and instead passed one calling for the organization to end its discriminatory ban on gay scouts and LGBT leaders. http://www.glaad.org/blog/california-legislators-urge-scouts-be-more-inclusive Friday, May 11: Celebrities including Julianne Moore, Max Adler (Glee), Fran Drescher, Perez Hilton, Lisa Lampanelli, Micah Jesse, Jane Leeves, Sean Maher, Kelly Osbourne, Darryl Stephens and Rita Wilson send Mothers' Day support to Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell. http://www.glaad.org/blog/more- celebstweet-out-support-ousted-boy-scout-mom-jennifer-tyrrell Tuesday, May 29: Singer and star of the CW's Vampire Diaries Kat Graham dedicates her performance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to ousted Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell. http://www.glaad.org/releases/katgraham-shows-support-gay-mom-ousted-boy-scouts-leader- %E2%80%9C-ellen-degeneresshow%E2%80%9D Wednesday, May 30: Eagle Scout Zach Wahls delivers more than 275,000 signatures to the BSA's national annual meeting calling for the organization to end its discriminatory policy. Wahls meets with BSA officials at the national annual meeting where he is told that a resolution is under review. http://www.glaad.org/releases/eagle-scout-delivers-275000-signatures-boy-scouts-america-calling- endanti-gay Wednesday, May 30: MSNBC's Thomas Roberts speaks to Eagle Scout Zach Wahls about delivering 275,000 signatures from a Change.org petition to the BSA calling for the organization to reinstate Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell and end its discriminatory ban on gay scouts and LGBT leaders. http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/06/06/12086046-boy-scouts-review-controversial-anti-gay-policy Sunday, June 3: Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell is joined on stage at the GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco by local scouts and leaders. http://www.glaad.org/blog/greys-anatomy-days-our-lives- facebookamong-recipients-glaadawards-san-francisco Wednesday, June 6: Sources confirm that the BSA will consider new policy to be voted on in 2013 allowing local Scout troops to decide whether or not to accept gay scouts and LGBT leaders. http://www.glaad.org/blog/boy-scouts-america-officials-propose-allowing-local-troops-accept-gay- youthand-leaders-after Thursday, June 7: Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell appears on CNN's Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien to speak about the BSA's announcement that it will consider ending its discriminatory ban on gay scouts and LGBT leaders. http://www.glaad.org/blog/pushing-boy-scouts-toward-inclusiveness Thursday, June 7: Eagle Scout Zach Wahls speaks to MSNBC's Thomas Roberts about his launch of Scouts for Equality and about the announcement by the BSA that it will consider ending its discriminatory ban on gay scouts and LGBT leaders. http://www.glaad.org/blog/pushing-boy-scouts-towardinclusiveness 2 Tuesday, June 12: CNBC reports that Ernst & Young CEO and current BSA Board Member James Turley issued a statement supporting an end to the anti-gay ban. http://www.glaad.org/blog/ceo- ernstyoung-and-boy-scouts-board-member-james-turley-supports-ending-ban-gay-scouts Monday, June 18: MSNBC's Thomas Roberts speaks to former Eagle Scout Naka Nathaniel, who renounced his rank in opposition to the BSA's discriminatory ban on gay scouts and LGBT leaders. http://www.glaad.org/blog/video-eagle-scout-renounces-rank- opposition-anti-gay-ban Monday, June 18: The New York Daily News exclusively reports that TV icon George Takei will march in the NYC Pride parade with Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell in a show of support for ending the BSA's discriminatory ban on gay scouts and LGBT leaders. http://www.glaad.org/blog/george-takeitake-stand- against-scouts-anti-gay-ban-glaadjennifer-tyrrell-nyc-pride Thursday, June 28: Jennifer's Change.org petition reaches over 300,000 signatures. http://www.glaad.org/blog/over- 300000-americans-support-end-boy-scouts-americasban-gay- americans Tuesday, July 17: BSA breaks news of a "two year long review" and reaffirms policy. Zach Wahls and others question the "11 person committee" that the BSA claims met for two years. http://www.advocate.com/commentary/2012/07/19/zach-wahls- says-secret-boy-scouts-committeewill-not-stop-us Tuesday, July 17: Bryan Fischer of the anti-gay American Family Association reports that the head of the Boy Scouts called him to let him know they would not be ending the ban. http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2012/07/noted-peddler-of-extremism-the-boy-scoutscalled-me- about-gay-policy.html Wednesday, July 18: AT&T CEO and current Board Member of BSA Randall Stephenson announces opposition to the ban via CNBC after a Change.org petition calls on him to do so. http://www.glaad.org/blog/corporate-america-giants-support-lgbt-equality-cnbc-reports Wednesday, July 18: Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell delivered more than 300,000 petition signatures and met with Boy Scout officials at the Boy Scouts' headquarters in Dallas. http://www.glaad.org/blog/photosjennifer-tyrrell-delivers-300k-signatures-boy-scouts-calling-end-anti-gay- ban Wednesday, July 18: Scouts for Equality founder and Eagle Scout Zach Wahls launches a Change.org petition calling on the BSA to let its Executive Board vote on a resolution that would end the ban once and for all. http://www.glaad.org/blog/timeline-boy-scouts-long-history-discrimination Wednesday, July 18: The Star Tribune reports that Minnesota's largest council, the Northern Star council, will remain welcome to gay members. http://www.startribune.com/local/162817346.html Wednesday, July 18: Eagle Scout and Scouts for Equality founder Zach Wahls speaks to Soledad O'Brien on CNN's Starting Point and Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC's Last Word following the BSA's decision to reaffirm its discriminatory policy. http://www.glaad.org/blog/video-momentum-builds- moreamericans-demand-change-boy-scouts 3 Wednesday, July 18: TV icon George Takei takes to his blog criticizing the BSA's discriminatory ban on gay scouts and LGBT leaders. http://www.glaad.org/blog/george-takei-secret-boy-scouts- committeehogwash Thursday, July 19: In a Dallas Morning News op-ed, GLAAD president Herndon Graddick and HRC president Chad Griffin call for the BSA to end its discriminatory ban on gay scouts and LGBT leaders, saying the BSA is on the wrong side of history.