A few weeks ago we brought you news of a new gay-themed web series, Camp Abercorn, that was looking for that was looking for funding on Indiegogo. The show had an ambitious $100,000 goal, and while it was doing extremely well, as the clock on the campaign ticked down it was still shy of its target.
Thankfully a late minute champion beamed down and, oh my, it was George Takei. He helped the show pass the $100,000 mark, both by making a donation himself and sending out a message of support on Facebook to get others to put up some money.
Here’s what he had to say, ‘This is an excellent new web series in the final hours of its crowd funding campaign. The filmmaker–a gay Eagle Scout–shines light on the Boy Scouts of America, both what it stands for, and the controversies it still faces.
‘As a former Boy Scout myself, it pains me deeply that the BSA still boots out gay scouts when they turn 18. This web series will help educate and inform, as well as entertain. That gets a big thumbs up from me. Let’s make this happen—even a few dollars could help them meet their goal tonight.‘
Camp Abercorn describes itself as ‘a dramatic web series about the blunders and the victories—an authentic portrayal of life on camp staff. For ten weeks each summer Camp Abercorn becomes a bustling wonderland of activity for boys, guided by their fearless leaders—the camp staff.’
The show will cover the issues of being a gay scout, as while Boy Scouts Of America now allows LGBT members when they are minors, after they turn 18 they are kicked out and barred from leadership positions. It’s an issue particularly close to creator Jeffrey Simon’s heart, as he was an Eagle Scout until he came out when he was 19 and left.
If you’d like to help Camp Abercorn, it’s still taking donations on its own website.
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The writer misunderstands BSA’s membership policy by suggesting “Boy Scouts Of America now allows LGBT members when they are minors….” Instead, a Google search reveals BSA’s 2013 policy that it does “not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the BSA.” Hence, while one may proscribe to ‘gay’ lifestyle, he or she cannot be actively involved or promote – even if under 18. Therefore, the underlying theme of ‘removing gay individuals just because they turn 18’ is misleading.