Scouting America to reinstate ban on trans children to appease Pentagon | US news

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that Scouting America will make changes to several policies at the Pentagon’s urging, one of which targets transgender children, as he launches a campaign against military support for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Some of the changes reflect proposals the organization proposed to the defense department in January, which included eliminating the civic merit badge in society and introducing the military service merit badge, as well as waiving registration fees for children of military personnel.

The Pentagon has taken aim at the military’s partnership with Scouting America under the Hegseth administration, condemning the Boy Scouts’ historic 2024 rebranding and other changes in recent years that it sees as part of a “woke culture” effort it wants to root out.

Hegseth said in a video: sent In X, after 2012, “The Boy Scouts lost their way and the once-great organization was badly injured. Diversity, equity and inclusion DEI stepped in. Renamed Scouting America. Girls accepted.”

“The focus on God as ruler of the universe has been watered down to include openness to humanism and earth-centered pagan religions. Scouting has become an organization that no longer supports and celebrates boys. They have even welcomed destructive myths like gender fluidity and transgenderism to infiltrate their membership,” he continued.

Specifically targeting transgender youth, Hegseth said: “Scouting America will change its policy to clearly state that membership will be based solely on biological sex at birth, not gender identity. This means that any application will have only two gender designations, male and female, and the application must match the applicant’s birth certificate. Scouting will also make clear that biological boys and girls will not be allowed to co-occupy or share intimate spaces such as restrooms, showers, tents, and so on.” will put it.”

He also said the Pentagon would “vigorously review” changes the organization makes within six months and would cut its support for Scouting America if it doesn’t comply.

“We hope that doesn’t happen, but it could happen,” Hegseth said. “Ideally, I believe the Boy Scouts should return to the Boy Scout Group as it was originally founded, turning boys into men. Maybe one day.”

In a statement to the Guardian, Scouting America confirmed that they were making “programmatic updates to comply with Executive Order 14173” and that they “plan to implement new programmatic elements that accomplish this mission: waiving registration fees for military families, launching a new merit badge focused on military service and veterans, and reinforcing our commitment to the core ideas of Scouting: leadership, character, duty to God, duty to country, and service.”

There is also no mention of transgender youth in their statement, which praises that “girls have been an integral part of Scouting since the 1960s and have served as leaders and program developers for decades.” When approached again about Hegseth’s particular focus on transgender youth, the organization did not respond.

Organization started allowing gay youth Lifted the general ban in 2013 gay adult leaders In 2015, it announced that it would accept transgender students in 2017. As of 2018, it began accepting girls as Scouts, and in 2019 it began accepting girls into its flagship Boy Scout program, which was renamed Scouts BSA. As of May 2024, more than 6,000 girls have earned the coveted rank of eagle scout.

The Pentagon stated in a statement earlier this month that it was reviewing its relations with the USA. Discovering AmericaHe called the organization’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts “unacceptable”, claiming that it had “lost its way” in many ways.

“The Scouting leadership of America has made decisions that run counter to the values ​​of this administration,” the Feb. 6 statement said, “including the adoption of DEL and other social justice, gender-fluid ideological stances.”

The Pentagon has previously said it is nearing an agreement to continue its partnership with Scouting America if the organization “expeditiously implements common-sense, core values ​​reforms.”

“Scouting in America is far from perfect, but they remain firmly committed to a return to basic principles,” the statement said. “Return immediately to God and your country!”

The U.S. military and the Boy Scouts have long-standing ties, including the military providing logistical support for the national jamboree since its inception in 1937.

The military also has a long history of sponsoring scout troops and activities on U.S. military bases and maintains a strong relationship with the Eagle Scouts, whose members often join the armed forces.

Scouting America expressed concern in a statement last year following a report from NPR that the Pentagon planned to cut support for scouting programs on military bases and the national pastime, eliminating pay grade increases for Eagle Scouts who enlist in the military.

Scouts told Hegseth in January that after listening to his suggestions, they had prepared a plan for him to review; This plan included ending the civic merit badge in society and introducing the military service merit badge, waiving registration fees for military personnel and holding a ceremony to rededicate themselves to leadership, duty to God, country and service, as well as dissolving the DEI board committee.

Founded in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America have achieved vaunted status in the United States over the decades; “pine derbies,” “scout oath,” and “eagle scouts” have become part of the lexicon.

According to lore, American businessman William Boyce was inspired to start the organization after getting lost in the fog in London and was guided to his goal by a teenager who turned down a tip and told Boyce that because he was a Boy Scout (they were founded in Britain in 1907) he couldn’t accept money for a favor.

Since then, the organization has faced controversy and undergone significant changes.

In 1990, the organization expelled an eagle scout who was an assistant scout after discovering that he was co-chairman of his university’s gay and lesbian organization. He sued in 1992, alleging discrimination, and lost in the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that the Boy Scouts could maintain membership and leadership criteria that excluded homosexuals.

Conservative groups rallied around the Boy Scouts, but numerous institutions reduced support as the ban continued. The ban ended in 2013. In 2015, the organization lifted a blanket ban on gay adult leaders and allowed church-sponsored scout units to continue excluding for religious reasons.

Boy Scouts in 2017 announced that they will allow trans children Those who identify as men to enroll in men-only programs. This comes after an eight-year-old boy was asked to leave his Boy Scout troop in New Jersey after his parents and leaders learned he was transgender.

The Boy Scouts also faced multiple sexual abuse allegations and sought bankruptcy protection in 2020; Meanwhile, they were named in about 275 lawsuits and told insurers they were aware of 1,400 claims.

In 2023, a judge approved a $2.4 billion bankruptcy plan that allowed the organization to continue operating and also awarded compensation to more than 80,000 men who claimed they were sexually harassed while scouting.

Last year, Scouting America’s president and CEO, Roger Krone, acknowledged some backlash to the rebrand but described the overall reaction as a positive one that sparked broader appeal.

“The fact that we were going with a more gender-neutral name made a lot of people want to know more about it,” Krone said.

The organization said it saw membership of nearly 16,000 new scouts, an increase of less than 2% from the previous year. The organization announced at that time that it had more than 1 million members.