Late last week, I posted my letter to the Boy Scouts of America in which I was to send my Eagle award back to the BSA due to their treatment of Ryan Andresen. Ryan is the openly gay scout who completed all requirements for Eagle but was denied the rank at the very end, just before his 18th birthday, because he is openly gay.
Ryan was bullied by troop members and other scouts at summer camp, and had to take a leave of absence from the scouts before finishing his requirements including his Eagle project, an anti-bullying 'tolerance wall'. But , the BSA kept bullying him.
When I posted my letter, a lot of people commented that they wished there was some way I could send the award to him instead of BSA. So I held onto my letter for a couple days in hopes I could find a way to do so.
Good news, the nonprofit organization Scouts for Equality, is collecting Eagle awards from Eagles who want to send them back and forwarding them to Ryan. See their Facebook page for the details. Ryan is to hold them until he is finally awarded his own, or to be presented at a BSA Founders Day (May 13) event with the Eagles again to protest the current policy. They intend to return the awards to the original owners once this is "over".
So, instead of sending my letter and award to the BSA, I sent my medal to Ryan, and updated my letter to the BSA to let them know Ryan is a true Eagle no matter what they say.
If you have been holding onto your Eagle award, not wanting to send it back to the BSA because you treasure it, here is a way you can keep it but also feel good knowing that you are also using it to work for change.
One last thing... It is National Coming Out Day, and in my communications with the various Eagles on this, it has become clear that gay scouts have not been renouncing publicly at the same rate as straight scouts. I imagine it is because some of those scouts had bad experiences mixed in with the good like I did. But this Coming Out Day, I'd ask all of the gay Eagle scouts out there to think really long and hard if you can continue to treasure that award when the BSA is hurting people with their policies. I couldn't, which is why mine is on the way to Ryan Andresen right now. We need your stories too, your stories of happiness, pain, triumph and loss. Come out, gay Eagle scouts. Time to do your duty and fix this organization.
Sign the petition to get Ryan his Eagle