The Boy Scouts of America is changing its 114-year-old name, according to a statement from the tech sector CEO who runs the fabled organization, in what seems to be a bid to deny the reality that boys are different from girls.
The new sexually-neutral name –“Scouting America” — will send “a really strong message to everyone in America that they can come to this program, they can bring their authentic self,” said Roger Krone, the organization’s president and CEO.
Krone’s “authentic self” phrase matches language used by transgender activists who oppose the public recognition that boys and girls, women and men, have different needs and desires. The pro-transgender activists insist that young children can create their individual sexual persona and “gender,” regardless of their male or female nature.
“They can be who they are, and they will be welcomed here,” added Krone, who until recently was the chief of Leidos, a consulting company in defense and healthcare. The scouting organization’s National Executive Board also includes other business leaders.
Krone suggested that the organization’s focus on boys hinders recruitment at a time when more young boys are spending their time glued to semi-addictive social media machines.
The scouting organization was created in 1910 to encourage urban boys to channel their physical energy into hiking and camping. The focus recognized that young boys are different from young girls, and it proved highly successful as urban parents wanted their boys to build competence and confidence.
But times changed, and the organization accepted gay boys in 2013, validated gay leaders in 2015, and welcomed girls in 2018. The Associated Press reported on May 7:
After a high point over the last decade of over 2 million members in 2018, the organization currently services just over 1 million youths, including more than 176,000 girls and young women. Membership peaked in 1972 at almost 5 million.
The organization’s decision to ignore the differences between boys and girls was cheered by some adults. The AP reported:
Within days of the announcement that girls would be allowed, Bob Brady went to work. A father of two girls and a proud Eagle Scout himself, the New Jersey attorney eagerly formed an all-girls troop. At their first weekend gathering with other troops, the boys were happy to have the girls involved but some adult leaders seemed concerned, he recalled. Their worries seemed to melt away as soon as the girls led a traditional cheer around the campfire.
“You could see a change in the attitude of some of the doubters who weren’t sure and they realized, wait, these kids are exactly the same, they just happen to have ponytails,” said Brady. His daughters are among the 13 girls in his troop and the 6,000 girls nationwide who have achieved the vaunted Eagle Scout rank. [emphasis added]
Krone doubled down on the ideological claim that there are no significant differences — often described as “gender differences” — between the two complementary and cooperating sexes.
“Though our name will be new, our mission remains unchanged: we are committed to teaching young people to be Prepared. For Life,” Krone said in a statement. “This will be a simple but very important evolution as we seek to ensure that everyone feels welcome in Scouting.”
“Membership is at historic lows, right?” he told the AP. “Part of my job is to reduce all the barriers I possibly can for people to accept us as an organization and to join.”
Krone also suggested that scouts should respect each other, regardless of motives and merits. “Scouting America provides a welcoming, safe environment where youth can become the best version of themselves by learning from and respecting each other,” he added in the statement.
However, the scouts’ long-standing recognition of competition among boys and sexual distinctions between boys and girls has been an attraction for millions of young boys who preferred to avoid female company, oversight, and conflict.
Moreover, very few young boys claim to be transgender, suggesting that the group will gain few new members from the transgender-friendly policy.
The eclipse of the Boy Scouts was touted by journalists eager to celebrate its new “inclusive” nature denying the popular and useful recognition that men and women — and boys and girls — are equal, different, and complementary.
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