Boy Scouts rename flagship to Scouts BSA, accepting girls, doing away with gender titles
Boy Scouts of America’s flagship program for 11-to 17-year-olds will be changing its name to Scouts BSA in February 2019, as it begins to accept girls to the program.
Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh said many possibilities were considered during lengthy and “incredibly fun” deliberations before the new name was chosen.
“We wanted to land on something that evokes the past but also conveys the inclusive nature of the program going forward,” he said. “We’re trying to find the right way to say we’re here for both young men and young women.”
“Boy Scouts of America” march (sheet music) Page 1 of 6 1916 Photo/John Philip Sousa public domain via wikimedia commons
The parent organization will remain the Boy Scouts of America, and the Cub Scouts, their program serving children from kindergarten through fifth grade, will keep its title, as well.
Surbaugh predicted that both boys and girls in Scouts BSA would refer to themselves simply as scouts, rather than adding “boy” or “girl.”
The program for the older boys and girls will largely be divided along gender-lines, with single-sex units pursuing the same types of activities, earning the same array of merit badges and potentially having the same pathway to the coveted Eagle Scout award.
There has been widespread criticism of the name change, generally suggesting it’s a misguided display of political correctness that undercuts the Boy Scouts’ legacy. But many other people dismissed such criticism as an overreaction.
“Get over it,” Kevin Aldrich, a member-at-large with a Boy Scout council in central Indiana, told The Indianapolis Star. “There is every reason to be co-ed. The Future Farmers of America is co-ed. 4-H is co-ed. Band in school is co-ed.”
Dr. Eugene Gu, a physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and CEO of a biotech company, said on Twitter that the outrage is misplaced. He views the name change as a business decision.
“With declining membership, they need the girls or it would be called Bankrupt Scouts,” Gu tweeted.
The name change comes amid strained relations between the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America.
Girl Scout leaders said they were blindsided by the move, and they are gearing up an aggressive campaign to recruit and retain girls as members.
“Girl Scouts is the premier leadership development organization for girls,” said Sylvia Acevedo, the Girl Scouts’ CEO. “We are, and will remain, the first choice for girls and parents who want to provide their girls opportunities to build new skills … and grow into happy, successful, civically engaged adults.”
Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire writes “I won’t let my sons anywhere near this embarrassment of an organization. I want them to be men, not simpering, pathetic, little effeminate weaklings, which is what the ‘Scouts’ embody at this point. But the Scouts will provide a very helpful example for my boys. I plan to use this sad story as a cautionary tale to teach them one crucial thing: Never, ever, ever, ever surrender to the enemies of truth and reason.”
photo/ Sasin Tipchai
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