Ellen DeGeneres made good on her promise to host Ryan Andresen, the teen that was dismissed from the Boy Scouts after completing Eagle Scout requirements once it was revealed that he was gay.
While Ellen couldn't give Andresen the Eagle Scout award that he'd rightfully earned, she gave him something else that will positively impact his future.
Watch after the jump.
Ellen told Andresen, “I cannot give you the pin...But what I can do, I know you want to go to college… so Shutterfly is giving you a check for $20,000.”
Oh, Ellen. You're just... you're just swell.
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Original Post
Ellen DeGeneres always finds the right balance--managing to keep her talk show light, while also providing a platform for those causes closest to her heart. Thankfully, bringing light to the struggles shared by the LGBT community is something she doesn't shy away from.
This Thursday, she'll host Ryan Andresen, the teen that who was recently dismissed from the Boy Scouts (after completing the requirements for his Eagle Scout award) following his admission that he is gay.
More after the jump.
According to Mercury News, Ryan Andresen, who turned 18 today, Monday, Oct. 8, was due to receive the highest honor in Boy Scouting until he came out as gay.
His mother, Karen Andresen, started a Change.org petition on Tuesday, Oct. 2, demanding that Ryan receive his Eagle Scout ranking. The petition has received more than 355,000 signatures.
Ryan was officially dismissed as a member of the Boy Scouts of America two days after his mother filed the petition.
Boy Scout leadership reaffirmed its ban on participation by gays and lesbians in July.
It's also worth noting that Ryan's Eagle Scout project is a 288-tile "Wall of Tolerance" on an outdoor wall at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School in Moraga, California.
Hopefully more attention being brought to stories like Ryan's, will pressure the BSA to reevaluated their outdated homophobic policies.
