Photos, Video: Madonna Wears Cub Scout Uniform To Protest Boy Scouts' Gay Ban
March 17, 2013, 5:15 p.m.
Madonna wants to join the Boy Scouts, "Most importantly, I know how to scout for boys!"
Last night at the GLAAD Media Awards, Madonna presented an award to Anderson Cooper, to recognize the silver-haired CNN correspondent's work in promoting equality. But, as expected, the Material Girl stole the show by dressing up as a Cub Scout—hat, shirt with badges, and shorts—and saying, "I wanted to be a Boy Scout but they wouldn't let me join...I think that's fucked up... I can build a fire. I know how to pitch a tent...I have a very good sense of direction. I can rescue kittens from trees... Listen, I want to do good for the community. Most importantly, I know how to scout for boys!"
The Boy Scouts had come under fire for not allowing gay scouts or gay scout leaders; one of GLAAD's special guests was Jennifer Tyrell, the openly gay den mother who was ousted because of her sexual orientation.
Madonna also discussed bullying, "When I think about young kids today in America who are being bullied and tortured, who are taking their own lives because they feel alone and judged, [like] outcasts and misunderstood, I want to cry a river of tears," noting, "I have teenagers of my own now and the idea of them or any young person experiencing that kind of pain is unfathomable to me. It's an atrocity to me. I don't accept it." Oh, and she wants to start a revolution:
[The bullying epidemic] is no different from a white supremacist hanging a black man from a tree before the Civil Rights movement. It's no different than a member of the Taliban shooting a young girl in the head for writing a blog about the importance of female education. It's no crazier than an Iranian gay man being hanged for falling in love with a man. I don't know about you, but I can't take this sh*t anymore. That is why I want to start a revolution. Are you with me? It's 2013, people. We live in America -- land of the free, home of the brave -- that's a question, not a statement.
The pop star spoke for 10 minutes, before asking Cooper to get to the stage so she could pinch his butt.
