Boy Scout Leaders Reprimanded For Marching In Utah Gay Pride Parade: VIDEO

Two Boy Scout leaders have been chastised by officials from the organization and told to sign an apology letter for marching with several uniformed Scouts in the Utah Pride Parade in Salt Lake City two weeks ago. The two leaders, Peter Brownstein and Neil Whitaker marched in the June 2 parade to celebrate the organization's historic vote last month to allow gay youths. Officials with the Boy Scouts of America's Great Salt Lake Council, however, say Brownstein and Whitaker violated the organization's policy prohibiting the use of Scouting to promote a "political agenda."

The two men were told to sign a letter of apology for "violation of BSA policies and disobedience," but have refused, saying they were not advancing a "political" agenda but celebrating a "cultural" event.

"We weren't rallying for a politician or political event," Whitaker said. "To me, it was being supportive of my fellow human beings."

Current BSA policy states "no person, youth, or adult may use Scouting to promote sexual orientation or any other political or social agenda." Scouts and Scout leaders are permitted to participate in pride parades as supportive citizens but not as uniformed members of the BSA.

Watch a news report of the story, AFTER THE JUMP...

Boy Scouts Wear Uniforms In Utah Pride Parade: Video

Yesterday, Salt Lake City's local Boy Scouts chapter, the Great Salt Lake Council, asked Scouts who planned to march in uniform during today's Utah Pride Parade to refrain from doing so. Several Scouts ignored the request and marched in this afternoon's parade wearing their Scout uniforms anyway.

Some of those Scouts explained the importance of marching in the parade to NBC News:

"It just feels like the right thing to do," Kenji Mikesell, an 18-year-old Eagle Scout and high school senior still active with his troop, said before leaving for the parade in Salt Lake City.

"It's kind of a way of saying we want you here,” added Mikesell, who marched with Mormons Building Bridges and whose troop is chartered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Scouting has been a very positive influence in my life, and I'd like to see more people take advantage of it now that the ban has been lifted.”

Peter Brownstein, a Scoutmaster who helped organize the Boy Scouts participation in the march, said a few adults and youth marched at the front of the parade in uniform, including a Cub Scout, an Asst. Scoutmaster, and a father and son team.

According to Fox13 News, The Great Salt Lake Council has stated that Scouts who marched in today's event will not lose their membership.

Watch video of four Scouts take part in the color guard at the pride parade, AFTER THE JUMP.

Senator Orrin Hatch Defends DOMA, Thinks Civil Unions Will Keep Everybody Happy

Senator Orrin Hatch believes civil unions will solve the country's inequality issues while saving the word "marriage" for heterosexuals, the Salt Lake Tribune reports:

The senator made the comment Wednesday at the end of a wide-ranging interview on Logan station KVNU, where he also said he doesn’t believe people choose to be gay, but "I draw the line on traditional marriage."

...Hatch, R-Utah, defended the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, and hopes the court will allow each state to handle this controversial issue on its own.

"I’ll say this, I do believe this could be solved greatly by a civil-union law that would give gay people the same rights as married people," said Hatch, who mentioned hospital visitations and tax benefits. "I think we can solve this problem without undermining the very basis of marital law in our country."

Gay Couples Challenge Utah Marriage Ban In Court

Overshadowed by this week's historic marriage equality Supreme Court hearings was a lawsuit filed several days ago by three gay and lesbian couples in the U.S. District in Utah which challenges that state's ban on same-sex marriage.

The Daily Herald Reports:

Plaintiffs in the Utah case include gay and lesbian couples who want to get married, along with a lesbian couple whose Iowa marriage isn't recognized by Utah...Swallow said marriage is for states to define.

"I believe that under our federal constitution the individual states retained the sole right to define the marriage relationship," Swallow said Tuesday in a statement. "As Attorney General, I swore an oath to defend the Utah Constitution and will do so by defending against this lawsuit with every resource at my disposal."

The Utah lawsuit names Swallow, Gov. Gary Herbert and Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen as defendants. Swenson refused to issue marriage licenses to the same-sex couples as recently as Monday.

Later that day, about 100 people attended a rally in Provo, Utah in support of marriage equality.

The constitutional amendment on same-sex marriage in Utah was passed by voters in 2004. But last year saw some new data that indicated small but noteworthy progress in attitudes in that state toward marriage equality.

Guess Who Stepped in to Give Food to the Utah Scout-O-Rama After Chipotle Backed Out?

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Winger’s Roadhouse Grill, Utah Sports Lodge and Madeline’s Steakhouse are stepping up to support the Boy Scouts by providing free food for the Utah Scout-O-Rama after Chipotle backed out because of anger over the group's anti-gay policies.

Winger's is trying to balance its anti-gay giving by donating an equal amount to the Utah Pride Center's Queer Prom on April 20. The Queer Prom is an annual event for LGBT youth and their allies.

The Trib reports:

President Curt Gray said in a Friday afternoon statement that Winger’s acceptance of diversity "is what makes us great." Both the Boy Scouts of America and the Utah Pride Center are helping to support and build leaders for America’s future, Gray said, noting the center’s work to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth who are "bullied and too often rejected by family and peers."

Valerie Larabee, executive director of the Utah Pride Center, said Winger’s and the center found common ground Friday and "a way to recognize the needs of all youth." "...We know there are gay and transgender scouts who will be proud to know their prom is also being supported by the owners and employees at this company," Larabee said.

Chipotle Does Not Support Companies That Discriminate Against Gays Unless They Are the Boy Scouts

UPDATE: They canceled.

Yesterday I posted an item noting that donations to Utah Scout-O-Rama, the annual fundraiser for the Great Salt Lake Council, had fallen from $70,000 to $8,000 because of complaints over the BSA's anti-gay policies.

In that item was a note that Chipotle Mexican Grill was providing food for the event.

Towleroad received an email from a reader who complained to Chipotle about its decision to support the Utah Scout-O-Rama. The company said that it was ignoring its own policies against discrimination to support the event:

Paul,

Thanks for sharing your concern. Due to the strength of the Scouting community in Salt Lake, it's a chance for us to connect with customers in that community. It is our hope the the Scouts will be more inclusive soon.

In truth, our involvement with the fundraiser is inconsistent with our policy of not supporting organizations that discriminate against sexual orientation, race, and other personal factors. Our intention was not to express support of any Boy Scout policies but to support the children in the Scouts in Utah, many of whom are fans and customers of ours. We are sorry for how our decision to support this fundraiser affect you.

We will continue to support the LGBT community by sponsoring Pride festivals and other events. Chipotle would not be what it is today without gay people, and we are appreciative of our gay fans and gay coworkers.

We appreciate your genuine concern and hope that you will visit our restaurants in the future.

Sincerely,
Louisa

Louisa Nickel | Customer Service Consultant
Chipotle Mexican Grill

Think Progress reached out to Chipotle company spokesman Chris Arnold and he basically told them the same thing:

We have built our brand largely by reaching out to people on a grassroots level and have done that working with a variety of community groups around the country, including school groups, youth sports, pride events, music festivals, food events and farmers’ markets, among many others. Our intention in doing that isn’t to endorse the policies of those groups, but rather to reach individuals (in this case the scouts themselves) through groups that are important in a given community. These decisions are made by a team of people around the country with the intention of connecting our restaurants with people in those communities.

That being said, this decision is not consistent with our own values, and we have used this opportunity to reinforce those values with the team that makes those decisions for us.

How do you feel about Chipotle supporting the Boy Scouts?