While the rest of the world is dealing with problems like gun violence, poverty, hunger, terrorist attacks and natural disasters, hoards of people all across the country tomorrow will dedicate their time, energy and voices to another important cause. That cause, of course, is protesting the Boy Scouts of America's proposal to change its homophobic membership standards and start openly recognizing that some Boy Scouts are going to be gay and stay that way, whether a bunch of uptight parents want to realize it or not. It's propelled by OnMyHonor.net, which describes itself as a "coalition of concerned Boy Scouts of America (BSA) parents, Scoutmasters, Eagle Scouts and other Scouting leaders who affirm Scouting's timeless values." By "values," of course, they're referring directly to their idea that allowing open homosexuality among Boy Scouts would be some kind of moral dilemma that would inevitably lead to the organization's demise and corrupt little badge-seeking boys all across America. The resolution is to be voted on by the Boy Scouts national council meeting on May 22 in Grapevine, Texas. At a place, in some awesome twist of fate, called the GAYLORD TEXAN RESORT & CONVENTION CENTER. If it's approved, it would change the current membership policy and allow openly gay Scouts, but leaders would still have to stay in the closet, which is totally inconsistent and probably would be really confusing for kids who are supposed to look up to troop leaders as idols and mentors.  For now, the local anti-gay Scout supporters are holding their "Rally for Scouting" at noon on Friday, May 17 in protest of the change at the Dan Beard Council at 10078 Reading Road in Evendale. It joins 39 other chapters across the country. On My Honor recently published an open letter to BSA delegates on why they should vote "no," and it's full of even more incongruities than the proposed membership policy, including assertions that allowing Boy Scouts to be openly gay will lead to mass gay orgies and ultimately lead to the downfall of the entire Boy Scouts. See it for yourself: Open Letter to BSA Delegates Apr 29 2013

Council Member Chris Seelbach says he’s getting impatient with streetcar delays. During a series of complaints aired on Twitter, Seelbach wrote the deadline for streetcar operation should be the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 2015. This week’s CityBeat cover story explains some of the delays and how the streetcar relates to the 2013 mayor’s race. The Pentagon is planning to lift the ban on women in combat situations. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the decision came after a recommendation from his Joint Chiefs of Staff. Between the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and this decision, President Barack Obama’s administration has been one of the most inclusive when it comes to the military. The Ohio Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case questioning the constitutionality of JobsOhio. Policy group ProgressOhio says it might be illegal to use state liquor profits to fund JobsOhio, a private nonprofit organization Gov. John Kasich set up to drive economic growth in the state. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game could bring $60-$80 million to Cincinnati, according to Julie Heath, director of the University of Cincinnati’s Economics Center. It was recently announced Cincinnati will host the game in 2015. Gov. Kasich said he won’t oust State Board of Education President Debe Terhar after she made a Facebook post comparing Obama to Adolf Hitler. Kasich is happy she admitted it was a mistake, and he said he will leave it at that. Democrats called for her ousting Tuesday. American Military Partner Association, a national organization that supports LGBT veterans, endorsed FreedomOhio’s same-sex marriage amendment. If voters approve the amendment this November, gay marriage will be legalized in Ohio. CityBeat wrote more about FreedomOhio’s ballot initiative here. Cincinnati Public Schools is piloting an after-school program focusing on the arts. The high-energy sessions are apparently proving to be a hit among students so far. U.S. Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from West Chester, says President Barack Obama is out to annihilate the Republican Party. I’m not seeing the problem here. Moody’s doesn’t have confidence in U.S. nonprofit hospitals. New science makes it possible to detect brain damage in football players that previously couldn’t be seen until a victim was dead. CityBeat covered how head trauma relates to former Bengals players' workers' comp claims here. Popular Science explains how to make the perfect snowball.

A token of good news for advocates of marriage equality in Ohio came on Tuesday when Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine approved language in a new state amendment proposal that, if approved by voters, would overturn Ohio's marriage bill prohibiting marriage for same-sex couples. It's a small bit of progress, but the approval means advocates are one step closer to achieving legislative rights and tolerance for same-sex couples in Ohio wishing to wed. Advocacy group Freedom to Marry Ohio originally submitted a primary version of a proposal of a revised constitutional state amendment allowing same-sex marriage to DeWine in late March. When DeWine ruled that the proposal did not provide an adequate description of the new measure, the group revised the proposal, which was resubmitted on March 26. The proposal included the signatures of more than 2,000 electors in support of the amendment change. According to Freedom to Marry Ohio's proposal, the new amendment would repeal and replace Section 11, Article XV of the Constitution to:1. Allow two consenting adults freedom to enter into a marriage regardless of gender2. Give religious institutions freedom to determine who to marry3. Give religious institutions protection to refuse to perform marriage DeWine stated in a press release that the next step is to decide whether the amendment should be placed on the ballot as one measure or split up into two. That task will be handed off to the Ohio Ballot Board. Once that decision is made, Freedom to Marry Ohio will be responsible for garnering 385,253 valid signatures from registered Ohio voters in order to get its proposed marriage equality amendment on the Ohio ballot. According to a report from Huffington Post, Ian James, Freedom to Marry Ohio's co-founder, hopes to be ready for the November 2013 ballot. Freedom to Marry Ohio is a branch of the nationwide coalition, Freedom to Marry, which organizes campaigns to achieve marriage equality nationwide. The current amendment in place regarding Ohio marriage has been in place since 2004, when Ohio voters chose to support banning gay marriage and health benefits for public employees in domestic partnerships with a 62 percent majority.