America’s first openly gay Eagle Scout’s petition asking Amazon.com to pause support for the BSA

Pascal Tessier, America’s first openly gay Eagle Scout, has launched a Change.org petition asking Amazon.com to temporarily withdraw its support of the Boy Scouts of America until the BSA ends its ban on gay leaders.

You can sign the petition here: http://change.org/amazonscouts

Tessier’s petition comes just two days after Geoffrey McGrath—an Eagle Scout, husband and Scoutmaster—became the first gay adult to be removed from the Boy Scouts of America since the organization’s vote in May of 2013 to end its ban on gay youth.

Working with Scouts for Equality, the national campaign to end discrimination within the Boy Scouts of America, Tessier’s petition has already accumulated 15,000 signatures and the number of signatures is growing fast.

“After the removal of Geoff McGrath on Monday, it’s clear that Scouting still isn’t a safe place for LGBT+ adults and parents,” said Pascal. “This is both a wake up call and a personal slap in the face to me. Last year’s vote showed that members of the BSA are ready for full inclusion. In four months when I turn 18, I’ll receive the same letter Geoff did, and I will be kicked out of Scouting. This has to stop, and Amazon can help.”

Amazon is a groundbreaking company with an HRC Corporate Equality Index score of 90, and Jeff Bezos is a strong ally of the LGBT community. Amazon’s website clearly states that: “Organizations that engage in, support, encourage, or promote intolerance… are not eligible to participate.”

“As the son of a same­-sex couple, I saw first hand as a youth that gay adults can be a positive part of Scouting,” said Zach Wahls, an Eagle Scout and co­founder of Scouts for Equality. “Removing Geoff sends the wrong message to young Scouts. Discrimination is never okay, and it has no place in our movement.”

Since Scouts for Equality’s founding in 2012, seven major corporate sponsors of the Boy Scouts of America have ended their partnerships with the organization, including Lockheed Martin, Walt Disney World, Caterpillar, Major League Soccer, Merck, Intel and UPS.