U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning for the military to sever all ties with Scouting America, saying the group once known as the Boy Scouts is no longer a meritocracy and has become an organization designed to “attack boy-friendly spaces,” according to documents reviewed by NPR.
In a draft memo to Congress, which sources shared with NPR but which has not yet been sent, Hegseth criticizes Scouting for being “genderless” and for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
The military has provided support to the Scouts for more than 100 years, assistance that was formalized in 1937. But in one memo, Hegseth says, “The organization once endorsed by President Theodore Roosevelt no longer supports the future of American boys.”
My kids were in the first trials of adding girls to scouts, and I got to talk to one of the older boys about it.
He said “the way I see it, I’m gonna have to work with women in the real world, so it’s good to learn that now.”
Unfortunately my kids couldn’t continue because we moved and the local troops weren’t integrated.