Carly Rae Jepsen won't be answering the phone if the Boy Scouts of America calls. At least, not until it changes its policy on gay members.
"Call Me Maybe" singer Jepsen has decided not to perform at this summer's National Scout Jamboree, in apparent protest of the Scouts' ban on gay members.
Jepsen fired up her Twitter account [3] on Tuesday to inform her 5 million-plus followers of her decision, saying that she "will continue to support the LGBT community on a global level."
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"As an artist who believes in equality for all people, I will not be participating in the Boy Scouts of America Jamboree this summer," Jepsen wrote. "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."
Jepsen isn't the only musical artist to rethink performing at the national gathering, which takes place July 15-24. "Calling All Angels" band Train announced on its blog Friday that it also wouldn't be performing [5] unless the organization changed its policy.
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"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," the band said. "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."
The Boy Scouts of America have come under heightened criticism for its ban on gay members. Last month, the organization was expected to make a decision [7] on the controversial, 100-year-old policy. However, the group, which was expected to leave the decision on gay members up to individual troops, said that the BSA's National Executive Board "needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy" due to "the complexity of this issue." A decision is now not expected until May at the earliest.
"We appreciate everyone’s right to express an opinion and remain focused on delivering a great Jamboree program for our Scouts,” Boy Scouts of America director of public relations Deron Smith told TheWrap in a statement.