Scouting America Reinstates Transgender Ban Under Pentagon Pressure
Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America, will reinstate a ban on transgender children and implement several policy changes at the urging of the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday. The move comes as part of a broader campaign against military support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
Policy Reversals and Pentagon Demands
Hegseth revealed in a video posted on X that Scouting America will modify its membership policy to base eligibility solely on biological sex at birth, rather than gender identity. Applications will now require sex designations to match birth certificates, with only male and female options available. Additionally, biological boys and girls will be prohibited from sharing intimate spaces such as toilets, showers, and tents.
"Scouting America will modify its policy to make clear that membership will be based solely on biological sex at birth and not gender identity," Hegseth stated. "That means that the application, any application, will have only two sex designations, male and female, and the application must match the applicant’s birth certificate."
Historical Context and Organizational Shifts
Founded in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America has undergone significant transformations in recent years. The organization began allowing gay youth in 2013, ended a blanket ban on gay adult leaders in 2015, and announced in 2017 that it would accept transgender students. In 2018, it started accepting girls as Cub Scouts, followed by their inclusion in the flagship Scouts BSA program in 2019. By May 2024, over 6,000 girls had earned the prestigious Eagle Scout rank.
Hegseth criticized these changes, lamenting that the organization had "lost its way" since 2012. "Diversity, equity and inclusion, DEI, crept in. The name was changed to Scouting America. Girls were accepted," he said. "The focus on God as the ruler of the universe was watered down to include openness to humanism and earth-centered pagan religions."
Pentagon Review and Potential Consequences
The Pentagon has threatened to cease its support of Scouting America if the organization fails to comply with the demanded changes. Hegseth announced that the Defense Department will "vigorously review" the implemented policies in six months. "We hope that doesn’t happen, but it could," he warned. "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."
In a statement earlier this month, the Pentagon claimed Scouting America had "lost its way" and criticized its DEI efforts as "unacceptable." The statement read, "Scouting America’s leadership has made decisions that run counter to the values of this administration, including an embrace of DEI and other social justice, gender-fluid ideological stances."
Proposed Reforms and Organizational Response
Scouting America presented a reform plan to Hegseth in January, which included discontinuing the Citizenship in Society merit badge and introducing a Military Service merit badge. The organization also proposed waiving registration fees for military personnel's children and holding a ceremony to rededicate themselves to leadership, duty to God, duty to country, and service, while dissolving their DEI board committee.
The Irving, Texas-based organization did not immediately provide comment to the Guardian regarding the recent announcements. However, Scouting America President and CEO Roger Krone acknowledged some backlash to the 2024 rebrand last year, describing overall response as positive. "The fact that we were going with a more kind of gender-neutral name, a lot of people kind of wanted to know more about it," Krone said.
Longstanding Military Ties and Recent Tensions
The U.S. military and the Boy Scouts have maintained longstanding ties, with the military providing logistical support for the national jamboree since 1937. The military has historically sponsored scout troops on bases and maintained strong relationships with Eagle Scouts, many of whom enlist in the armed forces.
Last year, Scouting America expressed concerns following reports that the Pentagon planned to cut support for scouting programs on military bases and eliminate pay grade increases for Eagle Scouts who enlist. The organization currently has just over 1 million members, with a modest gain of about 16,000 new scouts reported recently.
Legal Challenges and Organizational Controversies
The Boy Scouts have faced numerous controversies throughout their history. In 1990, the organization expelled an Eagle Scout who served as co-president of his university's gay and lesbian organization. The Supreme Court later ruled in 2000 that the scouts could maintain membership criteria excluding gay people.
More recently, the organization faced a flood of sexual abuse claims, seeking bankruptcy protection in 2020 when named in approximately 275 lawsuits with awareness of another 1,400 claims. In 2023, a judge upheld a $2.4 billion bankruptcy plan allowing the organization to continue operating while compensating over 80,000 men who filed abuse claims.
As Scouting America implements these policy reversals under Pentagon pressure, the organization continues to navigate complex social, legal, and institutional challenges while maintaining its century-old legacy in American culture.
