A "family" group doesn't want transgender girls accepted into the Girl Scouts of the USA, but the Girl Scouts sure don't care.
Last week, the American Family Association launched a petition demanding the Girl Scouts rescind their policy welcoming transgender girls. The petition reads: "This means girls in the organization will be forced to recognize and accept transgenderism as a normal lifestyle. Boys in skirts, boys in make-up and boys in tents will become a part of the program. This change will put young innocent girls at risk."
While the AFA is apparently just paying attention to the Scouts' policies recently, the transgender-inclusive policy is actually four years old, Andrea Bastiani Archibald, the Girl Scouts USA's chief girl expert, explained to CNN.
"Our position is not new," she said. "It conforms with our continuous commitment to inclusivity."
In a May 14 blog pot, Archibald noted that the scouts have "valued and supported all girls," not just "one type of girl," since the organization was founded in 1912.
"If a girl is recognized by her family, school and community as a girl and lives culturally as a girl, Girl Scouts is an organization that can serve her in a setting that is both emotionally and physically safe," she wrote. "Inclusion of transgender girls is handled at a council level on a case by case basis, with the welfare and best interests of all members as a top priority."
The AFA has collected more than 38,000 signatures, which ultimately amount to nothing.
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