Recently in November of 2015, a macro issue presented itself clearly through Amanda Holpuch's article, from theguardian.com, in which females are not able to join the Cub Scouts (and vice-versa). Specifically, a group of girls in California are striving to officially join the Cub Scouts. Their Girl Scout troop is called the “Unicorns” (remember... they are kids and these are the creative and fun names they come up with). The troop participates in BSA (Boy Scouts of America) events except they do so unofficially. More precisely, an eight-year old girl named Carrie Lynn Morgan desired to join the Cub Scouts in order to learn skills that would help her reach her goals and in leading a life where she wasn't depending on others. After her father’s unexpected death, she hoped to be able to know the skills necessary to be able to get by on her own. At her age, there were no Brownies Girl Scout troops around, so her only option to be involved was to join the Cub Scouts (which she wanted to join anyway).
A bigger problem formed when the Cub Scout leader initially refused to award Carrie with her well-earned badges. Patriarchal society values is a blame... Patriarchy: "a social system in which power is held by men, through cultural norms and customs that favor men and withhold opportunity from women". The Cub Scout leader, because he was a 'man', wouldn't award the badges because Carrie was a female and also because we live in a patriarchal society that degrades women and favor the leadership of men, while taking away opportunity from women.
With that being said, this issue clearly shows that there is an inequality among volunteer organizations in the country. If we live in a country where "We are all created equal”, then why can’t a female join a Boy Scout troop and why can’t a male join a Girl Scout troop? It is legal to do so in places such as Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom; if only America was in that list of countries in which it is legal. Both Boy Scout troops and Girl Scout troops run year-round. Therefore, it is not likely that any confliction of a sort would occur. Both are volunteer-based to better serve the communities and better themselves through what they learn and what they do. Both have very similar missions...
The Boy Scouts mission: “The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law”.
No where does is say to “prepare young 'men'”. If their mission is to influence people as a whole, they are certainly not earning the respect of others if they do not let females in.
The Girl Scouts mission: “Girl Scouts builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place”.
I cannot let the Girl Scouts off the hook; if they want equality to be in Cub Scouts, their mission cannot be hypocritical by saying to “build 'girls'”. It should widely state, “to build people”.
So... why does gender have to come into play? Of course, it is great to see that Boy Scouts are being “pushed to be more inclusive of LGBT members”, for it gives those members a sense of inclusion and a chance to be themselves in such a big organization. However, on another note, it is upsetting that females as themselves cannot be in a Boy Scout troop officially.
To connect, the “Title IX”, which is briefly touched upon in this article, states that “Girl Scouts and other voluntary youth organizations are exempt from the anti-discrimination law Title IX”. This means that voluntary youth organizations are unprotected from this law. Title IX doesn’t allow discrimination on the basis of sex. Unfortunately, Title IX does not apply to these organizations because Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops are not a federally funded education program or activity. Because they are unprotected from this law doesn't mean a change cannot be made.
All in all, both are volunteer organizations, and there is no reason to be that strict over who can and cannot be in it. When being in scouting, you are in your childhood and teen years trying to find who you are, what are your likes and dislikes, what are your strengths and weaknesses, and much more. You should, at this age, be able to choose between boy scouts or girl scouts. Both organizations offer different qualities and activities that each gender would like to try.
This issue in the world is literally telling a girl and a boy that they have to be in a troop their gender is expected to be in… so unfair! With being a Girl Scout in the past, there were things the Cub Scouts did such as Race Car Derby and sport activities that I wanted to do, but I couldn’t because I was a ‘girl’ from a Girl Scout troop.
America, let our children be 'kids'. Let them find what they enjoy. And if that means a girl joining a Cub Scout troop, or a boy joining a Girl Scout troop, then so be it! Children need this critical point in their lives, and maybe all it will take is accepting this. Maybe changing the names of each organization from 'Boy' Scouts and 'Girl' Scouts will better fit. We need to break the gender roles of our country.
A change does need to be made, and my first step is sharing my thoughts in response to Amanda Holpuch's news article... take the next step with me, and make a change together.
