Caterpillar Inc. has announced that it will suspend any donations to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) because of the organization's discriminating policy against gay adults. The heavy equipment manufacturer says the move wasn't a direct result of the recent vote by the organization to allow gay youth but continue their ban on gay leaders, rather it was a result of discussions within the company following a donation request by the BSA for $25,00 in funds.
The Southern Baptist Church has approved a resolution of their "continued opposition to and disappointment" in the Scouts' decision this past May to open membership policies for openly gay youth.
Today, the Boy Scouts of America's Greater New York Councils and US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released statements supporting the move to allow gay youth to participate in the Boy Scouts and continue onward for full inclusion of gay parents and leaders.
The Boy Scouts of America made history today by approving a resolution that will allow gay youth to participate. The Boy Scouts' ban on gay adults will remain intact. Many celebrities have taken to Twitter to share their excitement over this victory and continue to call for full inclusion of gay parents and leaders.
Some of us don’t have to imagine how painful it is to be a gay Scout. We were one. Growing up as a Mormon boy in Idaho, scouting was pretty much built into my pathway to becoming an adult. It was as much a part of the plan for my youth as many Mormon rights of passage: baptism, being ordained to the priesthood, and passing the sacrament on Sundays.
This morning TV icon and former Boy Scout, George Takei, changed his Facebook profile picture to include the Equality in Scouting badge and say "It's okay to be Takei in scouting." He also posted a longer message to his Facebook page calling on the BSA to "do the right thing." Today in Dallas, Texas, 1400 members of the Boy Scouts of America will vote on a resolution to end the Boy Scouts of America's ban on gay teenagers.
More than 1,500 New Yorkers gathered today in Manhattan to mourn the death of a 32 year-old gay man, who was shot down on Friday just blocks away from the historic Stonewall Inn in an apparent act of anti-gay bias.
