Local Boy Scout Council Approves Gay Scout Application

Ryan Andresen's Eagle badge application is now headed to Boy Scout headquarters.

Despite the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) national ban on gay scouts, openly gay scout Ryan Andresen has had his Eagle badge application approved. Andresen was refused the Eagle status last year but The Mount Diablo-Silverado Boy Scout Council has since approved it; the application now heads to the BSA national offices for final approval.

Ryan’s mother, Karen Andresen, started a Change.org petition that has received more than 450,000 signatures. She said even if the BSA decides not to award the Eagle badge in the end, “this victory makes it all worth it, and gives me much hope for the future of the organization.” Ryan isn’t the first boy scout member to protest the anti-gay membership policy. Scouts and scout leaders, wanting to overturn the policy, have launched more than 50 additional Change.org petitions. (Glaad)

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