Boy Scouts of America

Ryan Andresen: Father of Gay Boy Scout to Rally at S.F. City Hall Today

Later this month,the Boy Scouts of America's National Council will whether to ban banning gays, and already Eric Andresen, the father of Ryan Andresen, a East Bay boy scout who was denied his Eagle Award because he's gay, is motivating the masses. Later today, Eric Andresen will gather with other ... More >>

Pride Committee Picks Strange Bedfellows for Grand Marshals This Year

Famed San Francisco bar owner Marlena, aka Garry McClain, aka the Absolute Empress XXV, exulted after hearing he' d be one of several grand marshals at this year's LGBT pride parade -- a noteworthy comeback after the sale of his beloved eponymous drag bar. He'll stand -- or rather, ride and wave a ... More >>

Bay Area Boy Scout Council Leads the Way on Gay Rights

A local Boy Scout Council is showing the rest of the nation what it means to be a "responsible citizen and develop character." The Mount Diablo-Silverado Council is publicly calling on the Boy Scouts of America to do away with its ban on openly gay members. As KTVU notes today, the Bay Area scouts ... More >>

Madonna's "Boy Scout Uniform" Actually a Cub Scout Uniform

Everyone's favorite Den Madonna -- Madonna, naturally -- showed up in uniform at the GLAAD awards; the 54-year-old singer made it to the stage despite a trip through a Freudian minefield. Despite what you may have read elsewhere, that's not a Boy Scout uniform -- it's a Cub Scout uniform of the sort ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Ties That Bind: Once an Eagle Scout, Always an Eagle Scout

Straight Former Boy Scout Starts Petition Supporting LGBT Youth

Eddie Kurtz, a straight former Boy Scout, has started a petition urging the California Legislature to pass SB 323, which would end tax breaks for youth groups that discriminate against gays, including the Boy Scouts of America. So far some 9,000 Californians have signed on to the petition, which ... More >>

Can You Renounce Your Eagle Scout Award?

We reported earlier today on a petition started up by a straight former scout protesting the Boy Scouts of America's longstanding policy to discriminate against homosexuals. (The petition doesn't mention it, but BSA discriminates against atheists, too). Good luck to him -- the list of successful pet ... More >>

Boy Scouts Still Can't Decide If It Wants Gays ... in Its Organization

After a long meeting in Texas, the Boy Scouts of America postponed making a decision about whether to lift its ban on gays, claiming the issue was just too complex (aka uncomfortable). The board was supposed to vote yesterday, but as Deron Smith, director of public relations for the Boy Scouts, pu ... More >>

Ryan Andresen's Eagle Scout Application Denied Because of His "Avowed Homosexuality"

Last month, a local Boy Scout review board bucked the national organization's intolerant policy and recommended that the Mt. Diablo-Silverado Council Boy Scouts approve Ryan Andresen's application for Eagle Scout. For the previous three months, the 18-year-old from Moraga had been denied considerati ... More >>

Boy Scouts Man Up, Accept Eagle Scout Application From Ryan Andresen, Gay Teen

The Mount Diablo-Silverado Boy Scout Council said "screw it" to the Boy Scouts of America's anti-gay policy and finally approved 18-year-old Ryan Andresen's Eagle application after more than 460,000 people signed his petition. On December 19, the local Boy Scout leaders granted Ryan an official Eag ... More >>

Ryan Andresen, Gay Boy Scout Denied Eagle Award, To Be Honored by California Pols

Ryan Andresen, the incredibly badass 18-year-old who was booted from boy scouts because he's gay, is getting the recognition he so deserves. After scoring a spot on the Ellen Show and Anderson Cooper 360, the East Bay teen's next stop is the state capitol where he'll be honored by the California As ... More >>

Boy Scouts "Perversion Files": a Heartbreaking, Hypocritical Failure

My recollections of a youth spent in the Boy Scouts do not exactly jibe with the Norman Rockwell imagery, just as my recollections of an adulthood covering big city politics does not exactly jibe with the Norman Rockwell imagery. When you're dealing with adolescent boys, life can get messy (whi ... More >>

Boys Scouts Release 20 Years of "Perversion Files"

The Boy Scouts of America is releasing 20 years worth of "perversion" files on thousands of suspected pedophiles today, the Associated Press reports. Called, "ineligible volunteer files," this list was compiled between 1965 to 1985, comprising 1,247 files. It lists the names of people who do not m ... More >>

Ryan Andresen, Gay Teen Denied Eagle Scout Honor, to Give 400K Signatures to Boy Scouts

Ryan Andresen, the incredibly cool scout who was recently booted from the Boy Scouts because he's gay, is taking on his troop like no other gay has before. Today, the Bay Area teen is planning to deliver 400,000-plus signatures from people across the nation who say the Boy Scouts of America should g ... More >>

Ryan Andresen, Gay Teen Denied Eagle Scout Honor, Tells His Story on Ellen

Last week we told you about Ryan Andresen, the incredibly cool 17-year-old kid who was denied his Eagle Scout honor simply because he is gay. His story made national headlines and put the Boy Scouts of America -- and its badge of discrimination -- back in the spotlight. The East Bay teen has not onl ... More >>

Ryan Andresen, Gay Teen, Denied Eagle Scout Honor

Sadly, the Boy Scouts of America are once again proudly wearing their badge of intolerance. A Moraga Eagle Scout is being denied a top honor simply because he is gay.ABC News brings us the perplexing story about 17-year-old Ryan Andresen, who worked hard toward his dream of becoming an Eagle Scout - ... More >>

Tim Griffin, Eagle Scout Fired for Being Gay, Asks for His Job Back

What better way to help our young scouts "build character" than to teach them how to effectively discriminate?As readers probably recall, Tim Griffin, a 22-year-old Eagle Scout, claims he was booted from his job at Camp Winton in Amador County for being gay. Today, the former scout has big plans to ... More >>

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days": Deftly Navigates Suburban Perils

The Boy Scouts' Police Problem: Explorers Have Been Sexually Abused by Cops. Should Scouts Share the Blame?

Bisexual Ballers Don't Have to Worry About Not Being Gay Enough

​The bizarre story of three San Francisco softball players who were shamed off the field four years ago and stripped of their second-place medal for not being homo enough has finally come to a resolution. Our sister paper Seattle Weekly reports that the three players -- Steven Apilado, LaRon Charl ... More >>

An Albany Kid Reflects on Hometown Punks Rancid: "That's My America"

Rachel TejadaRancid​ It's probably no coincidence that it began two years ago, when I was living in New York and constantly homesick for the West Coast. Someone would put a Rancid song, generally "Roots Radicals" or "Time Bomb," on the odd punk-heavy bar jukebox, and a wave of pure, adolescent ... More >>

Good Scout, Bad Boy: Examining the Virtues of Leland Yee

Arthouse Movie Listings for April 27-May 3, 2011

Lefty's Store For Left-Handers Says All Is Right

The right stuff -- for real! ​You would think a novelty store catering to the needs of left-handers would be the sacrificial goat left before the tyrannosaurus of the Great Recession. Well, you'd be wrong. San Francisco has proven itself not just a left-wing city, but also most amenable to left-wi ... More >>

Doyle Drive rebuild won't displace quirky Presidio pet cemetery

Up soars in entirely unexpected ways

Up

Noise Pop Preview: Quick Picks

British Sea Power

Sleeping in the Bushes — Then and Now

A Friendly Hogtie

Ghouls on the Go

A Resident Evil remake captures all the creepy fun of the original.

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Zine Stealers

The Alternative Press Expo offers lots to look at -- but little to read

Striking a Balance

Slow Emotion

At the Walton Derby, the moment means more than winning

Americans, the Beautiful

The etiquette of being a guest, flying the flag, and addressing the president

Best New Locally Produced Documentary

Scouts' Honor by Tom Shepard

Scouts' Honors

What does it mean when your documentary wins at Sundance? It means schoolyard bullies and Hollywood producers treat you nicer.

Reel World

Ghost World; Castro Theater; Breaking into Hollywood

Reel World

See How They Run; Scout's Honor

Letters to the Editor

Letters from October 4, 2000

A Boy Scout No More

Since he was 12, Steven Cozza has led a crusade against the Scouts' anti-gay policies. What will happen now that he's grown up to discover sports and girls?

Might See TV

Joel Engardio picks his way through the political minefield around ITVS, the San Francisco group that Congress created to put the edge back in PBS

Rights of Passage

With gates and fences, private property owners are increasingly cutting off traditional paths to public lands. State law offers some recourse, but not much.

Second Time Around

Mulch

Samples