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The “woke virus” continues to spread in America.
The Boy Scouts of America has announced a major rebranding as it transitions to “Scouting America,” marking the first name change in its 114-year legacy.
The move is part of the organization’s bid to distance itself from its troubled past marred by a torrent of sexual abuse claims and subsequent bankruptcy while simultaneously embracing “inclusivity.”
The Gateway Pundit reported that the organization was nearly bankrupt after a series of woke decisions, including changing its policies to allow gay leaders and allowing girls to join. Those decisions had a major impact on the organization’s bottom line.
This change is yet another surrender to the ongoing “woke” agenda permeating longstanding American institutions. This is another surrender to political correctness, prioritizing superficial inclusivity over the core values that once made the Boy Scouts an iconic organization.
For over a century, the Boy Scouts of America has stood as a pillar of traditional American values, providing millions of young boys with formative experiences focused on leadership, self-reliance, and camaraderie.
In its press release, Scouting America stated that the change will take effect on February 8, 2025, coinciding with the organization’s 115th anniversary.
“The Boy Scouts of America will rebrand to Scouting America, reflecting the organization’s ongoing commitment to welcome every youth and family in America to experience the benefits of Scouting,” the organization said.
President and CEO Roger A. Krone claimed, “Though our name will be new, our mission remains unchanged: we are committed to teaching young people to be Prepared. For Life. This will be a simple but very important evolution as we seek to ensure that everyone feels welcome in Scouting.”
The name change is meant to reflect the organization’s supposed commitment to inclusivity following decisions in recent years to allow openly gay members and leaders and welcome girls into the ranks.
AP reported:
The organization steeped in tradition has made seismic changes after decades of turmoil, from finally allowing gay youth to welcoming girls throughout its ranks. With an eye on increasing flagging membership numbers, the Irving, Texas-based organization announced the name change Tuesday at its annual meeting in Florida.
“In the next 100 years we want any youth in America to feel very, very welcome to come into our programs,” Roger Krone, who took over last fall as president and chief executive officer, said in an interview before the announcement.
The organization began allowing gay youth in 2013 and ended a blanket ban on gay adult leaders in 2015. In 2017, it made the historic announcement that girls would be accepted as Cub Scouts as of 2018 and into the flagship Boy Scout program — renamed Scouts BSA — in 2019.
There were nearly 1,000 young women in the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts in 2021, including Selby Chipman. The all-girls troop she was a founding member of in her hometown of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, has grown from five girls to nearly 50, and she thinks the name change will encourage even more girls to realize they can join.
“Girls were like: ‘You can join Boy Scouts of America?’” said Chipman, now a 20-year-old college student and assistant scoutmaster of her troop.
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.
The very name “Boy Scouts of America” carried a timeless and specific message, one that emphasized the unique journey of boys learning to become responsible men. The removal of the word “Boy” in favor of a more neutral moniker is unnecessary and eroding concession to modern pressures.
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