Why Ry Andresen fought back

When Ry Andresen was denied the eagle scout rank for being gay, they didn’t mind missing out on their patch—but they wanted to fight for other gay scouts.

Why it matters: Andresen’s story and activism in 2012 woke up many Americans to the Boy Scouts’ anti-gay policy for the first time.

• Their appearances on Ellen and Anderson Cooper 360—as well as 400,000 signatures on a Change.org petition—marked a new phase of visibility in the campaign for inclusion.

Go deeper: In my podcast conversation with Andresen, we looked back on their experience as a scout and accidental advocate.

• Growing up, Andresen faced constant bullying from their fellow scouts and classmates. It inspired their eagle scout project, a “tolerance wall” outside of a middle school classroom with inspirational messages from students.
• Andresen found out they would not be receiving the rank days before their eighteenth birthday, after they had finished all of the requirements.
• Soon after launching their Change.org petition, Andresen was overwhelmed with media attention—and quickly became the target of online harassment.
• Looking back, Andresen wishes they spoke out not just against the anti-gay policy, but about the bullying that gay kids faced in the program.

Before you go: My podcast with Andresen is a small taste of their full story, which I tell in more detail in my forthcoming book. Pre-order it here.

And you can watch Andresen’s appearance on Ellen in the video below.