Scouting for All Action Alert

April 28, 2004
For Immediate Release and Distribution
For further Information Contact
Scott Cozza, Pres., Scouting for All
707-778-0564
scottcozza33@comcast.net , www.scoutingforall.org

Scouting for All's Protest And Candlelight Memorial At The Boy Scouts of America's National Council Conference Being Held In Chicago, Illinois May 19-21, 2004

Location of Events
Hyatt Regency
151 East Wacker Dr.
Chicago, IL

Schedule Of Events

Wednesday, May 19

• Press Conference Begins at 1000 am in front of the Hyatt Regency Hotel
• Protest All Day in front of the Hyatt Begins at 1200 noon until 5 pm

Thursday, May 20

• Protest All Day in front of the Hyatt Begins at 8 am ends 5 pm
• Candlelight Vigil in memory of GLBT youth who have taken their lives because they felt like they didn't belong. Time TBA. We will walk from a determined location to the front of the Hyatt Regency with lighted candles. Each light will represent 100s of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth who have taken their lives because they felt rejected, like they didn't belong.

  Location to meet: A park located north of the Hyatt Regency on Michigan Ave. At Oak St. Near the intersection of Michigan and Lake Shore Dr. Meet at 6 pm

Friday, May 21

• Protest All Day in front of the Hyatt Hotel Begins at 8 am ends 3 pm

We need assistance with the following

We invite community leaders from various groups to step forth and volunteer to be on our planning committee. We'd like to have representatives from the GLBT, religious, non-theist communities as will as civil rights groups, PFLAG, GLSEN, and GLBT / GSA youth groups to participate in the Press Conference, Protest, and Candlelight vigil. Please contact Scott Cozza as listed above.

Statement of Purpose

Scouting for All members / volunteers, concerned individuals, and community groups will be leading a protest and a candlelight memorial vigil at the Boy Scouts of America's National conference. Scouting for All is asking assistance from its individual members and supporters as well as national and community based organizations, GLBT groups, religious and non-theist groups in Chicago and surrounding communities. We will be organizing a protest at the Boy Scouts of America's Annual National Conference for Scout Councils. This will be the 4th year we have lead a protest at this conference. BSA national leadership from Irving Texas and scout councils from every state in the country will be attending the conference in Chicago. They will be discussing policy and the future of scouting in America. For those of you who are not in the Chicago area, but know an individual or organization in the area please pass this Action Alert on to them.

We will all be standing together to defend the rights of our gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and non-theist youth and adults. The current leadership of the Boy Scouts of America have corrupted both the Scout Oath and Law for their own political and religious agendas by discriminating against GLBT and atheist youth and adults. Scouting was founded for all youth to participate in not just some youth. There is no room in Scouting for bigotry and discrimination of any form. In fact there is no room in American society for discrimination. We ask you to become a voice against the social injustice of the Boy Scouts of America by helping with our efforts to make this protest the largest we've ever had. Together we stand and together we shall overcome the social injustice of the BSA, which is a reflection of the social injustice that continues to prevail in American society.