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.