Discrimination

In the week and a half since Jennifer Tyrrell was ousted from her son's Boy Scouts troop, just because she's gay, more than 40,000 people have signed her Change.org petition calling on the Boy Scouts of America to end their longstanding - and well-known - policy of discrimination against gay youth and LGBT families. On Saturday, April 21, Jennifer will speak onstage at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles.

Nearly 1,000 people have signed a Change.org petition in support of Jennifer Tyrrell, the gay mom from Ohio who was removed from her volunteer post with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) just because she's gay.

Jennifer Tyrrell of Bridgeport, Ohio is a devoted partner, mother, friend and community leader. Until recently, she also volunteered her time to serve as the den leader of a local Cub Scout chapter. She was removed from her volunteer post not because of issues with performance; she was removed only because she happens to identify as a lesbian.

A school district in Suffolk, VA is considering a ban on 'cross-dressing' and claims that this policy change would protect students from harassment and bullying. This proposed policy is extremely problematic and amounts to nothing more than preemptive victim-blaming.

At Pepperdine University, administrators have refused to officially recognize the school's only LGBT club, Reach OUT. Members of the club have started a petition on Change.org in hopes of persuading university officials to reconsider this discriminatory policy.