Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen performs at the o2 Arena in east …There’s no maybe about it: Carly Rae Jepsen is willing to take a stand for something she believes in.
The 27-year-old “Kiss” singer has backed out of being one of the headliners for the Boy Scouts of America’s National Scouting Jamboree in West Virginia in July. The reason? She can’t support a group with an anti-gay agenda.
The national organization has a ban on gay members.
“As an artist who believes in equality for all people, I will not be participating in the Boy Scouts of America Jamboree this summer,” she said via Twitter. “I always have and will continue to support the LGBT community on a global level … and stay informed on the ever changing landscape in the ongoing battle for gay rights in this country and across the globe.”
The other headliner for the event, Train, announced Monday that they were not yet dropping off the bill for the annual event, but that they would if the ban isn’t overturned at a meeting to vote on the matter in May.
"Train strongly opposes any kind of policy that questions the equality of any American citizen," the band said in a statement. "We have always seen the BSA as a great and noble organization. We look forward to participating in the Jamboree this summer, as long as they make the right decision before then."
GLAAD member and Eagle Scout Derek Nance launched a petition on Change.org urging Jepsen and Train to back out of the concert only four days ago. It gathered more than 62,000 signatures.
“After serving 10 years as a Boy Scout camp leader, I decided I couldn't lie about who I was any longer and came out as gay,” Nance wrote in the petition. “Now, because of the Boy Scouts of America's hurtful anti-gay policy I'm no longer allowed to be part of an organization that has been an instrumental part of my life … I came out as gay because I realized the best way to help end this dangerous policy is to stand up, speak out, and tell the organization I love to do the right thing.”
“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,” Rich Ferraro, GLAAD's VP of Communications, said in a statement. "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."