World

Rick Perry attacks Madonna for GLAAD Awards boy scout costume appearance

Mar 23 2013
Written by Joseph McCormick

Texas Governor Rick Perry has voiced his distaste at Madonna’s recent appearance at the GLAAD Awards, which she attended dressed as a boy scout, and spoke out against the Boy Scouts of America’s ban on gay members.

Perry said that Madonna had taken a “gratuitous shot” at the BSA, when she said that it should lift its ban on gay volunteers, members and staff.

Madonna took to the stage at the 24th annual GLAAD awards last Saturday dressed as a boy scout, as she gave a passionate speech about LGBT rights, before presenting TV host Anderson Cooper with an award.

“It’s fascinating that someone would make that kind of gratuitous shot at an organisation that has probably done as much to promote young men to the type of values that the vast majority of the people in this country aspire to,” Perry said in an appearance on the Glenn Beck program.

Perry said in February that he thought the Boy Scouts of America shouldn’t remove its ban on openly gay scouts, volunteers and staff.

The Republican Governor was speaking to an annual gathering of scouts from around Texas, and when asked about the policy he said he thought it didn’t need to be changed.

He said: “Hopefully the board will follow their historic position of keeping the Scouts strongly supportive of the values that make Scouting this very important and impactful organisation.”

In July 2012, after a two year review, the Boy Scouts of America announced it would retain its ban on gay members, volunteers and staff.

Reports suggest that the BSA has been secretly convening a committee to look at whether to change or get rid of the ban.

Back in February, the Boy Scouts of American delayed a vote on whether or not to lift the ban, until May “due to the complexity of the issue”.

Earlier this week Mexican food chain Chipotle, pulled its funding of a Boy Scouts of America event in Utah, after admitting that, due to the organisation’s anti-gay policy, Chipotle was in breach of its corporate non-discrimination policy.

Last week both Carly Rae Jepsen and San Francisco band Train pulled out of headlining at the Scouts annual jamboree, because of its ongoing ban on allowing gay members, volunteers and staff.

Back in January, President Barack Obama said that he thought gay people should be allowed in the Boy Scouts of America, and that “nobody should be barred” from the experience of being a scout.

The Boy Scouts have already lost funding from several large corporate donors, including UPS, back in November, who had given over $150,000 (£95,000) to the BSA, and Intel, another of the scouts’ largest donors, ceased funding back in September.