ORLANDO – The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) annual meeting in Orlando was the scene for respectful protest this week, as LGBT advocates and their supporters protested the ouster of a gay den mother by presenting a petition containing more than 275,000 signatures in support of reinstatement for the woman, Jennifer Tyrell of Ohio.
Among those on hand was Zach Wahls, the Iowa-based student whose speech in support of marriage equality went viral last year, becoming the most-watched political clip on YouTube in 2011. Wahls—himself an Eagle Scout—was raised by a lesbian couple, and is the author of “My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family,” which was released last month. He defended Tyrrell and condemned BSA’s removal of the den mother, who led her 7-year-old son’s Tiger Scout troop until her removal this spring.
“While today’s meeting was productive and thoughtful, the delivery of these petitions marks the beginning of this journey, not the end,” said Wahls. “I thought our dialog today was an honest one, and I’m looking forward to continuing the conversation in the months ahead. We leave today one step closer to religious and personal freedom than when we arrived, and it’s hard to be anything but thrilled about that.”
Wahls previously told the Huffington Post, “I learned in the Boy Scouts that bravery is not the absence of fear but the mastery of fear. But as long as this policy remains the official position of the BSA, that lesson will ring hollow. I learned in the Boy Scouts the importance of standing up for what’s right.” This weekend, Wahls and Tyrrell will travel to San Francisco to take part in this year’s GLAAD Awards, sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
Pop performer Kat Graham also appeared in support of Tyrrell this week, performing “Put Your Graffiti On Me” during “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” while clad in a Boy Scouts uniform, to honor the ousted den mother.