It was just announced that rock band 3 Doors Down will be performing at the 2013 National Scout Jamboree tomorrow according to the Associated Press. The band is stepping in following withdrawals from Train and Carly Rae Jepsen as a result of a campaign launched by GLAAD and Eagle Scout Derek Nance, who started a Change.org petition which received over 60,000 signatures. The Change.org petition asked them to not perform until the Boy Scouts of America adopt a national non-discrimination policy that would end the BSA's practice of ejecting gay young people and adults.
GLAAD reached out to 3 Doors Down's management late this afternoon and was told that there would not be anything to share imminently.
"Rather than promote an organization that actively discriminates against gay Americans, it's time 3 Doors Down step into 2013 and withdraw their support of the Boy Scouts, joining musicians like Madonna, Train and Carly Rae Jepsen in speaking out against the Scouts' discriminatory policy," said GLAAD. "The Boy Scouts took an important first step by allowing gay youth to participate, but if the organization expects support from celebrities, corporations and the majority of Americans who believe in fairness for all, Scouting must be open to gay parents and committed leaders over the age of 18."
In May 2013, the BSA approved a resolution that will allow gay youth to participate and also welcomed them to the current Jamboree. The resolution however prevents LGBT adults from participating in Scouting, meaning gay Scouts turning 18 will no longer be welcomed by the organization and parents like Ohio mom Jennifer Tyrrell, who was ousted as her 7 year-old son's den leader, will also be banned.
Many celebrities have spoken out against the ban. Madonna wore a Boy Scouts outfit during the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York and was joined by many others in speaking out against the ban, including George Takei, Josh Hutcherson, Benicio del Toro, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita, Marlee Matlin, GLAAD's Wilson Cruz and Omar Sharif Jr. and Dr. Phil.
Corporate partners including Merck, the UPS Foundation, the Intel Foundation, the God Bless America Fund, Catepillar and more have also stopped funding to the BSA because of the ban.
GLAAD first started calls for the Boy Scouts of America to end its ban on gay Scouts and Scout leaders in April 2012 after Jennifer Tyrrell, a mom and den leader from Ohio was removed from her 7-year-old’s Cub Scout Pack for being gay. Tyrrell’s original Change.org petition has attracted more than 343,000 signatures in support of ending the Boy Scouts’ ban on gay Scouts and leaders. Tyrrell, together with GLAAD, has launched a new petition to urge the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to completely lift its anti-gay ban on both youth members and adult employees and volunteers. Click here to take action on this issue. For more on GLAAD's work on this campaign, including a timeline of key events, visit www.glaad.org/scouts.
Speak out now on Twitter! Post this tweet: #Jambo2013 performers @3doorsdown should speak out against the @BoyScouts ban on gay adults!