Recently, “Call Me Maybe” singer Carly Rae Jepsen joined rock band Train in dropping out of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Scout Jamboree, citing the organization’s policy banning gay Scouts and Scout leaders. In an interview with MTV, she explained that the decision was not hard to make, adding that she’s praying it helps convince the BSA to make the right decision:

JEPSEN: I mean, it was sort of one of those things that I kind of have my opinions about, and everyone’s entitled to their own, but it wasn’t necessarily something that I felt comfortable backing once I learned more about it. And that being said here’s hoping they make the right decision and I’m praying that moves like this will help.

Watch it:

Jepsen’s comments come as BSA begins surveying its members about the possibility of allowing gay scouts. The questions include scenarios about gay Scouts tenting with straight Scouts, lesbians serving as den leaders when a troop’s church sponsor opposes homosexuality, and prohibiting would-be Eagle Scouts from receiving their badge just because they’re gay. Both those who want the Scouts to continue discriminating and those who don’t agree on one thing: As the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” study proved, no amount of opinion will change what the right course of action is.

(HT: Pink News.)

Carly Rae Jepsen, the artist behind last year’s ubiquitous hit “Call Me Maybe,” has officially backed out of her commitment to the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) National Scout Jamboree because of the organization’s anti-gay policy. Jepsen said the following over three tweets this morning:

JEPSEN: As an artist who believes in equality for all people, I will not be participating in the Boy Scouts of America Jamboree this summer. I always have and will continue to support the LGBT community on a global level and stay informed on the ever changing landscape in the ongoing battle for gay rights in this country and across the globe.

Train, the other band booked for the Jamboree, similarly said this weekend that it would only perform at the summer event if the BSA changed its policy before then.

Both performers had been the target of a petition by out Boy Scout leader Derek Nance, calling on them to condemn the Scouts for their policy banning gay Scouts and leaders. At the end of January, the Scouts announced they were considering ending the policy at the national level, but as conservatives retaliated against the proposal, they delayed taking action until May. A February poll shows that 55 percent of Americans support lifting the ban on gay Scouts.

This year, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) booked Train and Carly Rae Jepsen to perform at the National Scout Jamboree this July. Derek Nance, an Eagle Scout and Scout Leader who recently came out on YouTube, started a petition calling on the two performers, both of whom have expressed support for marriage equality and other LGBT issues in the past, to condemn the BSA’s policy of banning gays. Train has already responded to the petition, stating on their website that they will not perform at the Jamboree unless BSA changes the policy before then:

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 has yet to respond to the petition. When she was asked about the gay twist at the end of the music video for her breakout hit “Call Me Maybe,” she told Time Magazine, “If my video is encouraging that mind frame with other children and other people – well, it’s about time, I guess!” Hopefully, she also follows through on that commitment to LGBT acceptance and takes a similar stance against the Scouts’ policy.