GLAAD Asks Carly Rae Jepsen to Boycott Boy Scouts of America for Ban on Gay Members, No Response Yet from "Call Me Maybe" Songstress

Carly Rae Jepsen was offered a headlining spot at an upcoming Boy Scouts of America event and gay rights organization GLAAD has asked the singer to turn it down. There is a ban on gay scout members, volunteers and leaders in the Boy Scouts of America and until this ban is lifted GLAAD will not rest. The 2013 National Scout Jamboree is on July 16 and Jepsen is still scheduled to perform and has yet to give a response to GLAAD.

The San Francisco-based pop-rock band, Train, was also set to headline this event but have since announced that they will not participate unless the ban is lifted. They released a statement, saying:

"When we booked this show for the Boy Scouts of America we were not aware of any policy barring openly gay people from participation within the organization. Train strongly opposes any kind of policy that questions the equality of any American citizen. We have always seen the BSA as a great and noble organization. We look forward to participating in the Jamboree this summer, as long as they make the right decision before then."

Jepsen and Train are no strangers to LGBT culture and have spoken out in favor of marriage equality. In fact, the 27-year-old Jepsen's hit single "Call Me Maybe" featured a gay male lead character. Since Jepsen has yet to speak out on this recent issue, a petition at Change.org has been created to make the singer to do.

A petition with around 1.4 million signatures was issued to the Boy Scouts of America organization, which is now considering lifting the band in favor of local policies to decide the issue. The decision is expected to be made in May, allowing for enough time before the 2013 National Scout Jamboree to lock down the desired headliners.

During the rally that delivered the petition to the Boy Scouts of America's headquarters, many people affected by this ban spoke at a press conference. One woman Jennifer Tyrrell, a gay mother, said that being rejected by an organization such as the boy scouts has had a negative effect on children. She said, "Children's psyches are involved here. When you tell a child they're not good enough, when you tell a child their parent's not good enough, it takes a toll on that child. And so, it's not OK anymore."

Another speaker, a gay former Scout Master, Greg Bourke, told his tale of how the group asked him to resign after he became openly gay:

"The council asked me to resign immediately. After many years of dedicated volunteer service to my troop, the Lincoln Heritage Council, and the Boy Scouts of America, I was cast aside thoughtlessly and it crushed me."