Should girls be allowed in the Boy Scouts? – by Rich Harrington – Helium

[Note: GPB does not endorse the opinions of the author, below, but, having discovered on the whitehouse.gov web site, the Picture of the Day, below, dated February, 16, 2011, I was curious what level of support exists, today, for girls in The Boy Scouts of America – if not The World, considering similar if not parallel Girl Scouts programs available, just for girls. Coincidentally, I discovered a Girl Scout “Baseball” activity patch yesterday – lest I forget to mention The Girl Scout Discovery Tour now a supported program at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.]

Girls are allowed into the upper levels of the Boy Scouts of America program known as Venturing already. I’ve been involved with Boy Scouting for 10 years as a leader and feel that at the Boy Scout Troop level, girls would be an unnecessary and difficult addition. Venturing allows boys and girls above the age of 14 [“OR 13 years of age and have completed the eighth grade and under 21 years of age” – scouting.org] to join. They wear a dark green shirt and are the crew is self managing. There is always both men and women involved in any outing, but the decisions are made by the teens and not by the adults.

I have met many parents of girls who would love to go into a Boy Scout troop and do the things the boys do. There are a lot of girls that enjoy camping, hiking etc and I feel sorry for those girls and their parents. But at a certain age, boys and girls need the separation. The unfortunate problem is not that the Boy Scouts do not allow girls in, but that Girl Scout programs are not as good in many cases as the Boy Scout program. The parents who wish their girl could join the Boy Scouts are usually in a Girl Scout troop that is not as outdoor oriented or has rules and regulations that make any outdoor activity difficult to do…