Singer Carly Rae Jepsen, known for her 2012 hit song “Call Me Maybe,” has announced that she is canceling her appearance at the national Boy Scouts of America (BSA) jamboree over the organizations exclusion of openly gay members.
The national Scout jamboree is held around once every four years and brings tens of thousands of Boy Scouts together for camping and events. Jepsen was scheduled to perform at this year’s jamboree, which is being held at a National Scout Reserve in West Virginia.
The singer announced her decision via her Twitter accout, where she stated that she “believes in equality for all people” and “will continue to support the LGBT community on a global level.”
The band Train has cancelled its appearance at the jamboree as well, saying that it “strongly opposes any kind of policy that questions the equality of any American citizen.”
The National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America last month considered a change to its current policy, which bans openly gay scouts. The new policy would have allowed local scout troops to set their own policies (discriminatory or not) with regards to gay members. The board did not take up the policy, and instead delayed the decision until its annual meeting in May. Many of the Boy Scouts’ troops are sponsored by religious organizations, such as the Mormon Church, that openly oppose gay rights.
“No fair-minded media outlet, corporation or celebrity will want to partner with the BSA as long as the organization puts discrimination and anti-gay bias before the needs of young people,” said Rich Ferraro, VP of Communications GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). “GLAAD will continue to call for partners of the BSA to speak out against the anti-gay ban until the BSA puts Scouting first and adopts a national non-discrimination policy. Carly Rae Jepsen and Train’s decisions not only send the right message to the BSA, but remind LGBT young people that they are supported and accepted.”
