The Boy Scouts, now known as Scouting America, recently struck a deal to revise policy with United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth after he issued threats to cut support. In a short video by Hegseth, he calls upon Scouting America to “go back to being the Boy Scouts…a group that develops boys into men.” What our defense secretary states here ignores the unequal divide that persists between Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, demeaning the hundreds of thousands of women who have contributed to scout troops over the past 100 years.
Hegseth stated that the Boy Scouts “lost their way” in 2012, citing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as well as the acceptance of girls into Scouting America. He claims merit was destroyed in favor of an “insidious, radical [and] woke ideology that is Anti-American.” To Hegseth, these as the reasons for the declining membership and their filing for bankruptcy in 2020. Surprisingly, Hegseth fails to mention the $2.46 billion Scouting America owed to boys who were sexually assaulted as minors under their program, which was the primary reason for the organization’s bankruptcy.
Hegseth states the policies Scouting America has in place violate Executive Order 14173, entitled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-based Opportunity.” He states Scouting America will comply with the Executive Order by removing DEI initiatives, disbanding the Citizen in Society merit badge, removing any semblance of gender fluidity in their program and introducing a new merit badge for scouts who join the military as well as waiving fees for those with active duty family members. Fundamentally, Hegseth’s rhetoric here ignores the unfair advantage Boy Scouts have over Girl Scouts, and would exclude him from earning the now-defunct Citizen in Society merit badge.
When you hear the title “Eagle Scout,” you think determination, drive and resilience – someone who has earned something in their community and is deserving of your respect. For any “Eagle Scout,” this title is a recognizable award by most Americans. Now, tell me what the equivalent for a Girl Scout is? It’s the “Gold Award,” and if you weren’t in Girl Scouts, I guarantee you had zero idea what the name was. While an “Eagle Scout” has the reverence of their title, the same title of the “Gold Award” does not have the prestige and renown across America. Any employer or college admissions counselor can see “Eagle Scout” and instantly think “Wow!” while a “Gold Award” is something they’d glance right over.
Let’s run further with what Hegseth says here; “let’s bring Boy Scouts back to ‘just boys’ and take the women out of the picture.” Over 200,000 girls in Scouting America would be kicked out, and every mother who runs a troop would be stricken from their post. Hopefully, he’s not literally calling for this, but by stating he wants “just boys” in scouting, he certainly implies it.
Unlike Hegseth, I was a scout. A few of my community’s fathers ran our Cub Scout troop in elementary school, and I look fondly on the days of selling popcorn outside the local Stop & Shop in freezing weather. When some of the boys moved on to Boy Scouts and their fathers followed them, there were not enough leaders to run our pack, so my mother stepped up into the role of Den Leader. She made sure us boys had a place to grow and learn. If not for her – a woman whom Hegseth is directly insulting with his statement – our scout pack would have disbanded.
Thankfully, Scouting America has not yet heeded Hegseth’s call to bring Boy Scouts back to “just boys.” In their statement describing the upcoming policy changes, they state their commitment to girls being a part of scouting is “unwavering.” However, Hegseth’s rhetoric is harmful to the millions of Americans who trust what the Secretary of War says and creates a disgraceful effect that can trickle down to our communities. Leaders of America have been demeaning the women who hold our community together and ignoring the unfair advantage Boy Scouts have had over them for the past 100 years. All Americans – including those who run Scouting America – should show some backbone and ignore their demands.
