The Spire

Fiona Greaney ‘29

Opinions Editor

Dear Scouting America,

In the statement released on Feb. 27th, you affirmed Scouting’s “longstanding commitment to military families” and “service to the more than 200,000 girls who participate in (your) programs.” What you failed to mention is that DEI measures will be removed from Scouting and transgender scouts will, according to the Department of Defense, be banned from participating in your program. This is saddening and concerning to hear as a usually enthusiastic supporter of yours.

I joined your organization in 2019 when I was twelve years old, and I attribute who I am today to the experience. You gave me the opportunity to trust in myself and others, become confident in my abilities, and learn what it means to be an upstanding citizen. I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and continued to serve in both Scouting’s National Honor Society and on your Summer Camp Staff for three years. One year ago I stood next to your CEO, Roger Krone, on national television, with scouts of color, scouts with disabilities, and yes, transgender scouts, as you flaunted the diversity of your organization. 

Scouting, you have given me so many opportunities, from the ability to travel around the country to the privilege of attending Holy Cross through scholarships. But I am disheartened by your willingness to disregard your commitment to being “morally straight” as stated in the Scout Oath, an oath that every child that will no longer be able to participate in your program has promised to uphold. Instead, you have given yourselves to the whims of a government organization, compromising your morals.

I understand why you would want to appease Pete Hegseth, as I have personally benefitted from the Department of War’s supply of personnel at national Scouting events. The National Jamboree is the highlight of the scouting year on a national level, so I understand your desire to hop on board with the Department of War’s demands. But this decision will stab you in the back, both in the short-term and in the long-run.

The Department of War has demanded that “biological boys and biological girls will not be permitted to share intimate spaces, including toilets, showers and tents.” This is first and foremost a moral concern. According to your website, you “invite every youth to a safe, fun place to explore, learn, and grow.” Banning youth from participating in your programming would, by nature, antithetical to this statement. This attack on transgender children is not only misdirecting as to your previous policies (which included notoriously strict YPT and SYT guidelines), but also raises logistical concerns for summer camps, one of the major moneymakers for your Scouting councils. 

Immediately, you will suffer economically. Most camps were created before girls were allowed in your organization, meaning that they have one set of facilities for everyone in the camp. Since welcoming young women into the program, camps have worked to split facilities in half or have different genders shower at different times of the day. But these new guidelines might mean camps would have to build new facilities by June 1st (when these new changes go into effect) or shut down for the summer. Many summer camps simply would not be able to run programs this summer if these changes were to go into effect. For most Scouting programs nationally, summer camp revenue keeps councils afloat. By adding this additional financial burden, you are shooting yourself in the derriere, Scouting.

In the long term, you will lose members. By banning transgender youth from participating, you are excluding a small portion of the population. But Pete Hegseth has said that he is not finished, and that other groups might soon be on the chopping block. “Ideally, I believe the Boy Scouts should go back to being the Boy Scouts as originally founded, a group that develops boys into men. Maybe someday,” he stated in the February announcement. 

This is deeply unsettling. Scouting, you have always been a program that young people participate in when they don’t make the football team, get cut from the school play, or aren’t able to attend school due to a physical disability. You are a place where children who find themselves on the outskirts of social circles can grow as people and citizens together. 

Banning transgender children is, unfortunately, low-hanging fruit. But I am apprehensive of what happens when we move up the tree, picking on scouts with disabilities, scouts who are immigrants, and female scouts. What happens when the margins become so tight that there is no one left to participate in the program? For the first time since joining Scouting, I cannot honestly see a future for all young people in the program. And like a frog in tepid water, I worry that we will fail to jump when the water begins to boil. 

The founder of Scouting, Sir Baden Powell, said that Scouting is not a military organization. He criticized early military youth organizations and strived to instead build the character of his nation’s youth. Scouts parade, but they do not march like military units. Scouts wear uniforms, but do not dress like soldiers. What’s great about you, Scouting, is that you introduce youth to many different career opportunities, including chemistry, dentistry, public speaking, graphic design, entrepreneurship, plumbing, law, nuclear science, and so many more. 

Since a pipeline between Scouting and military service already exists, adding an official military service badge to your repertoire is a plus. But to emphasize this option above the others is both damaging for your brand image and our country. How many times have you boasted the diversity of industries your Eagle Scouts occupy? Will this statistic be as impressive if you try to force square pegs into camouflaged holes? How will our nation vie for excellence without the leaders you form dispersed between different industries?

Throughout my scouting journey, I have internalized your mission: “to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law.” Scouting America, your decision to disregard your proclaimed values of freedom and equality stands in direct opposition to the statement all members of your program commit to memory. I am incredibly fortunate to have benefitted from your program, Scouting America, and I hope that every child in America has the same opportunity that I did. I hope that you continue to uphold the values of the Scout Oath and Law, and remain separate from any government entanglements.

Respectfully,

Fiona Greaney

Featured image courtesy of Scouting America