Carly Rae Jepsen and Train drop out of the Boy Scout Jamboree, citing its opposition to gay scouts
Both Train and Carly Rae Jepsen have pulled out of their scheduled headlining slots at this year’s Boy Scout Jamboree, which is apparently a thing that still exists. The moves came after GLAAD started a petition on Change.org imploring the acts to bail in response to the Scouts’ continuing ban on gay members. In just four days, some 62,000 people have signed the petition.
Train was the first to drop out, posting a statement on its website saying that the band “strongly opposes any kind of policy that questions the equality of any American citizen,” and that, while the band respects the Boy Scouts, it won’t have anything to do with them until “they make the right decision.” On Tuesday Jepsen followed suit, saying she’s “an artist who believes in equality for all people.”
The Jamboree is being held July 15-24 in West Virginia, and there will still be plenty of other activities for attendees to participate in, such as whitewater rafting, trading patches, and trying to figure out which scouts might be secretly gay.