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Activist Groups Urge Obama to Reject Boy Scout Honor
From Fox News:
Activist groups, including Scouting for All, urge President Obama not to accept the honorary Presidency of the Boy Scouts of America until they stop discriminating.
Scouting for All is a 100% Volunteer 501-(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization. Every dollar donated goes toward our education and advocacy programs, and is tax deductible.
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Scouting for All's 4th National Annual GLBT Celebration / Rally
This Year's Theme
"No Child Left Behind"
Recognition of Gay Scouts and all GLBT and Non-theist Youth
Week
October 5-11, 2003
The list below indicates organized National Annual GLBT Celebration
/ Rally locations and the Celebration / Rally Organizers' contact details if you'd like to offer your assistance.
If you wish to organize a 2003 Celebration / Rally
at a location not listed, just click
here .
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We now have several posters (8 1/2" x 14") available for download and
printing for use in your Rally.
These are in .pdf format and require that you use the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded for free by
clicking on the following image:
California
Petaluma, CA
Scouting for All National Office
Location of Rally Site: Petaluma California
Date(s)/Time(s) of Rally's: Oct 10 - Oct 11 / Times TBA
contact: Scott or Steven Cozza
email: scottcozza33@comcast.net
telephone: 707-778-0564
We will be holding a protest at the Boy Scouts of America, Redwood Empire Council in Santa Rosa, California.
We also plan on doing a fund-raiser for the local GSA with a dance and possibly a showing of the film Scout's Honor.
The time of the fundraiser will be announced, but the event will be held in November. We are currently looking
for a band and won't be able to book a band until November. So we'll have the fundraiser for the Petaluma HS
GSA and the protest at the Redwood Empire council in November.
San Diego, CA
San Diego Scouting For All
Protest Site: Desert Pacific Council
1207 Upas Street
San Diego, California 92103
Date/Time: 11:00 AM
Contact : Howard Menzer
Phone: 858-268-2853
Email: Howmen@aol.com
"Boy Scouts have now officially become a private organization that discriminates. Today gays are the target.
Tomorrow??? Will it be Jews, Blacks, left handed people? We need to tell the Boy Scouts of America that while they
use public land, Scouting
needs to be for all."
"We are asking concerned Scouts and friends to join us on October 12, 2003, at the Boy Scout Headquarters
at 1207 Upas Street in San Diego at 11:00 AM to protest the discriminatory practices of the Boy Scouts of America."
-Howard Menzer.
Please visit our web site for a detailed explanation of our rally: http://www.sdscoutingforall.org/index.html
Howard Menzer is a 54 year veteran of Scouting, Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow, and District Order
of Merit holder.
Connecticut
Hartford, CT
David Knapp
Location of Rally Site: north steps of the state capitol, Capitol Ave., Hartford, Connecticut.
Date/Time: Oct 11, 2003 / 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
contact: David Knapp
email: davidwinthropknapp@yahoo.com
telephone: 203-453-1395
Demonstration against the National Boy Scout policy prohibiting gay Scouts and leaders as will as atheists. October
11th, is also National Coming out Day, so we hope some present and former scouts and leaders will come out.
Purpose:
- To let the public, scout parents, leaders and sponsoring organizations know how much harm this new policy 1978
has done to this wonderful organization and devastation to the lives of many thousands of closeted gay scouts and
leaders, particularly those who were discovered and expelled.
- To emphasize what a homophobic, discriminatory, bigoted message this sends to the 3 million heterosexual scouts
about their fellow gay scouts and leaders and atheists - the exact opposite of everything taught in the scout oath
and law!
- To ask local council members and scout executives to not enforce this policy and national council delegates
to vote to return to the policy followed from 1910-1978 based upon misconduct of any kind, NOT ON WHO YOU ARE!!
- the policy still followed by the Girls Scouts of the USA and every other public youth organization in the US.
Michigan
Flint, MI
PFLAG Genesee County
Tall Pine Council BSA
507 W. Atherton Rd
Flint, MI 48507
Date/Time: Oct 7, 2003 / 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
contact: Frank Burger
email: fburger@chartermi.net
telephone: 810-593-0015
We will have a rally with marchers in front of the Scout Office as well as speakers at a brief rally.
New York
Albany
New York State Coalition for Inclusive Scouting
Location of Rally Site:
In front of the local BSA headquarters:
Twin Rivers Council
253 Washington Avenue Extension
Albany, NY 12205
Date/Time: Oct 8, 2003 / 4:00PM - 6:00PM
contact: Christopher Hayes
email: chris@inclusivescouting.net
telephone: (518) 462-6138 x 3
We will be protesting in front of the Twin Rivers Council headquarters for the 4th consecutive year.
The Boy Scouts of America continues to discriminate against both youth and adult members based on sexual orientation
and religion. Join the New York State Coalition for Inclusive Scouting and let the leaders of the BSA know that
discrimination will no longer be tolerated.
In addition to the protest, we will be holding an open public forum. Details on the forum to be announced. For
more background information on recent developments on this issue please visit our web site: www.inclusivescouting.net.
This event is sponsored by the New York State Coalition for Inclusive Scouting in coordination with Scouting for
All. For more information
please contact us at:
NYSCIS
P.O. Box 131
Albany, NY 12201
(518) 462-6138 x 3
newyork@inclusivescouting.net
www.inclusivescouting.net
The New York State Coalition for Inclusive Scouting is an affiliate of the Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community
Council.
Oregon
Portland, OR
Love Makes A Family
Location of Rally Site: First Congregational Church of Portland (1137 SW Broadway, Portland) in Chapel
Date/Times: Oct 9, 2003 / 6:30 - 9:00
contact: Bonnie
email: Info@LMfamily.org
telephone: 503-228-3892
Come watch the award winning documentary Scout's Honor and learn more about the fight for inclusive scouting here
in Portland.
Pennsylvania
Pocopson, PA
Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia
Location of Rally Site: 22nd and Winter Streets, Philadelphia, PA. We're planning to rally in downtown Philadelphia,
starting at Cradle of Liberty Council Headquarters and marching to City Hall.
Date: Oct 9, 2003
Time:
Noon - rally and press conference at Cradle of Liberty Council HQ, 22nd and Winter Streets, Philadelphia PA.
1 pm - march to City Hall to present letter to City officials.
"We will rally at Cradle of Liberty Council Headquarters, a beautiful City-owned building near the Benjamin
Franklin Parkway, and march to City Hall with a letter requesting that City government officials uphold the City's
nondiscrimination statute and refuse to allow a discriminatory organization to use public property."
Washington
Seattle, WA
Scouting for All, Northwestern Regional Office
Scouting for All's National Rally: Recognize Gay Scouts and All GLBT and Non-theist Youth!
When: October 11, 2003 - 2 p.m.
Where: Seattle First Baptist Church in Seattle's First Hill/Capitol Hill Neighborhood (1111 Harvard Avenue,
Seattle) Seattle, WA
-- Hoping to raise awareness about the plight of Gay and non-theist youth in the Boy Scouts of America, the
Northwestern Regional Office of Scouting for All plans to hold Seattle's 4th Annual Scouting for All Rally. The
event, set to coincide with similar rallies held nationwide, is meant to celebrate the contributions of Gay and
atheist youth and recognize those who
advocate on their behalf.
"The celebration and or rally gives participants a voice to acknowledge, recognize and embrace GLBT and
non-theist youth with an empowering message," said Scott Cozza, president of Scouting for All. "This
event will be the vehicle to give a voice to this embracing and healing message. This annual event occurs across
the U.S. and internationally."
In addition to Washington, rallies are scheduled to be held in California, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Last year,
rallies where held in 18 separate sites from Hawaii to Connecticut.
The purpose of the Scouting for All Rally is twofold according to local organizers. First, they hope to get
the Boy Scouts of America to rescind its membership policies that ban both Gay and atheist youth and adults. Second,
to recognize and support GLBT and atheist youth. Each year the Scouting for All Board of Directors, with impute
from staff, select a new theme. This year's theme is "Recognize Gay Scouts and All GLBT and Non-theist Youth."
The Seattle rally will be held on National Coming Out Day, which is Saturday, Oct. 11. A presentation of "Scout's
Honor," an award-winning documentary about the Boy Scouts controversy will follow a short awards ceremony.
The event will be held at the Seattle First Baptist Church in the fellowship hall starting at 2:00 p.m.
The rally is being sponsored by an impressive list of community organizations. The Safe Schools Coalition, Seattle
PFLAG, GLSEN of Puget Sound and the Northwest Coalition for Inclusive Scouting are just a few of the groups who
are taking part.
Additional sponsors and volunteers are needed to help coordinate all aspects of the event. For more information
about the event or to volunteer, call (206) 686-2944 or e-mail northwestern@scoutingforall.org.
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