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This man's dedication to the Boy Scouts shows just how ridiculous their ban on gay leaders is.

It doesn't take a genius to see how cruel it is to have someone spend all their time serving a group that has no plans to love them back.

Hardworking. Honest. Helpful. Respectful.

These are just a few of the many characteristics people associate with being a Boy Scout.


Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images.

As one of the country's biggest youth organizations, the Boy Scouts of America is a household name that holds a lot of significance for young boys and men. For many, it isn't just an American pastime; it's a rite of passage.

So what happens when you realize a group that is seemingly integral to your identity growing up doesn't accept you for who you are?

Liam has been a Boy Scout since age 11. He's also gay.

Despite having a rough start with scouting (during his first camping trip with his brother, he cried — but at least now he looks back on that moment and laughs), he loved being a part of his troop.

About a year later, Liam started to come out to his classmates at school as gay, but he hesitated to come out to his troop because he knew how homophobic the Boy Scouts organization was.

Liam almost didn't get to reach his goal of joining the top ranks of the scouts.

Despite the Boy Scouts' policy, Liam chose not to hide his sexual orientation. With his officially becoming an Eagle Scout on the line, he agreed to be interviewed for his high school newspaper about his experience as a gay scout, even though leadership warned him that he might get kicked out for it and lose his chance.

He did the interview anyway.

Luckily, Liam was able to become an Eagle Scout. But the fight for acceptance of gay folks in the organization is not over.

Geoff McGrath had his scout membership revoked for being gay. GIF from "Clipped Wings."

That means dedicated scouts like Liam are banned from giving back to the Boy Scouts as adult volunteers just for being gay. What kind of message is the Boy Scouts sending to young men if they're suddenly unacceptable the second they turn 18?

It looks like the bravery of people like Liam is having an impact. The Boy Scouts' president called for the ban on gay leaders to be lifted. Here's hoping that soon we'll see the organization's board vote to allow amazing individuals to be members — regardless of their sexual orientation.

Watch the entire documentary "Clipped Wings" to learn more about the fight against homophobia in the Boy Scouts:


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Listen to this organ in Croatia that uses the sea to make hauntingly beautiful music

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Matthew Inman is the Eisner Award-winning author of The Oatmeal. He's published six books, including New York Times Best-Sellers such as "How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You"and "The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances."He enjoys running marathons, writing comics, and eating cake.

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Sweeping UN study finds that 9 out of 10 people worldwide are biased against women

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Photo by Joe Gardner on Unsplash

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The Gender Social Norms Index released yesterday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) offers a look at gender equality as measured by people's personal gender bias. The data, which was collected from 75 countries covering 81% of the world's population, found that 91% of men and 86% of women show at least one clear bias against women in the areas of politics, economics, education, and physical integrity.

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