When James Dale was 19 years old, he did not expect to be "the gay Boy Scout" throughout his twenties.

He has been known as such since he sued the organization after they banned him because of his sexual orientation.

As part of Pride Week, Dale addressed a large crowd last night about ways they can help promote acceptance of all minority groups.

With words of inspiration, Dale urged attendees to take every opportunity to speak out against all forms of discrimination and to work with other groups.

"Take active participation in everything that is going on," Dale said. "Have faith and believe it if you want to see it happen."

Dale said the Boy Scouts of America represent what America is and he never questioned if his decision to sue the group was right.

"It's not about me, it's about youth," he said. "Gay youth today need somewhere to go to feel good about themselves."

Dale said the organization changed its image to win against him in the U.S. Supreme Court.

He said the Boy Scouts' policy teaches straight children discrimination is okay and all people are not equal.

Some organizations, including the United Way, have stopped donating money to the Boy Scouts since they stated their position during the trial.

Dale predicts another group that does not discriminate will soon take the place of the Boy Scouts.

Dale urged gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people to come out and for allies to be vocal in their support for the community.

"You can either try to protect others or live your life with honesty," he said.

Dale said when someone hides they are gay they buy into the argument that they are not equal.

"If we want other people to respect us, we have to respect ourselves," he said.

Allies member Brian Loretz (junior-art history and management), who organized Dale's visit, said the speech was humorous and thought-provoking. He said it was good that Dale stressed the importance of not losing sight of the big picture of ending discrimination for all kinds of minorities and not just the gay community.

Allies Director Matt Leifer (sophomore-media studies) said he was glad Dale did not try to cater to gay rights activists with his speech and got deep into the root of the issue.

Dale gained notoriety in 1998 for being the first person to successfully sue the Boy Scouts after he was expelled from his position as assistant scoutmaster in 1990 when the organization learned of his sexual orientation.

The New Jersey Supreme Court overruled a lower court's decision by ruling in Dale's favor, saying the Boy Scouts' ban violated a New Jersey civil rights law that forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned that verdict in June 2000. The court said forcing the group to admit Dale would violate the Boy Scouts' free-speech right to oppose homosexuality.