AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, FilePascal Tessier's story is truly inspiring.
When Tessier turned 18 last August, he wrote a letter to the Boy Scouts of America saying he could no longer be a member because of the group's policy to ban openly gay adults in the Boy Scouts.
"Today is my 18th birthday, a milestone on my path to becoming an adult and the day I am no longer eligible to be a Boy Scout because I am gay," the Maryland teen wrote, according to The Washington Post. "Despite the Boy Scouts' historic decision last year to open its ranks to gay youth, the Scouts still ban gay adults. And as of today, that means me."
Flash forward to this week. The New York Boy Scout chapter announced they are accepting Tessier's application to be a summer camp leader in direct defiance of the organization's anti-gay policy.
"I'm sure it won't be a surprise to know he's excited that he got the job," Zack Wahls, executive director of Scouts for Equality, told The Washington Post. "The lion's share of the credit here goes to the New York council for stepping up to the plate. There are a lot of chapters that say they don't discriminate, but they just talk the talk. The Boy Scouts in New York walk the walk."
Despite Tessier's win against the anti-gay policy, Boy Scouts of America communications director Deron Smith stands by the rule. "While we were only recently made aware of this issue, we are looking into the matter," Smith told the paper.
Way to go, Pascal.