Seems like the motto of "do your best" means little to the Boy Scouts of America if you say that you are gay.
After being a scout since the age of 6, Ryan Andresen is in the unfortunate discrimanatory situation of being denied the highest rank in the organization because he spoke out about his sexual orientation.
Citing that “it’s totally devastating,” Andresen pronounced "it was by far the biggest goal of my life," in an interview with Yahoo! News.
When asked for a comment by the Daily News, Boy Scouts of America spokesman Deron Smith said Andresen "does not meet Scouting’s membership standard on sexual orientation" and claimed "he does not agree to the Scouting’s principle of ‘duty of God.’"
Controversy surrounding the BSA's policy of excluding gay members is nothing new. The private organization's stance on sexual orientation has garnered mixed opinions from not only celebrities like Chuck Norris, but high ranking politicians like Governor Mitt Romney and President Obama.
Aware of the BSA's policy, Andresen stated his troop's Scout Master, Rainer Del Valle, led him to believe that it was a hurdle they'd be able to overcome with the proclomation “he’d [Del Valle] been telling me all along that we’d get by the gay thing.”
I find it ironic that for his final project to become an Eagle Scout, Andresen created a “tolerance wall” for bullying victims and now he finds himself the victim of an organization who is punishing him for speaking about his sexual orientation.
Not taking the news likely, as one would expext, Karen Andresen, Ryan's mother, is hurt by the whole ordeal and has taken to Change.org to start a petition to have the decision changed.
What's more unfortunate is that Andresen will turn 18 on Monday after which he will be inelegible for the distinctive rank.
It's a terrible way for Andresen to end his time with the BSA after nearly 12 years of service as a scout.
