BOISE- Boy Scouts of America announced it is dropping the word 'boy' from the name of its signature program.
Starting in February it will be called 'Scouts BSA' as girls are welcomed in. As you can imagine there is mixed reaction to the news.
Boy Scouts of America says it wants to promote inclusiveness by making it co-ed. Some community members say it's a good move to allow girls, and others say it's ridiculous.
"We have 106 years of expertise in serving girls," said Holli Woodings, who is the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Council Board of Directors Chair. "It's fascinating to me that someone would try and serve a population that's already being well served in our community. We take pride in being a single gender organization and only serving girls because there are a lot of brain differences with the way girls learn and explore and we also have a lot of families who do both."
Boy Scouts of America claims that's a big reason for them to change the Boy Scouts program. The idea is to help families by bringing sons and daughters to the same organization. Woodings says that doesn't make sense.
"We have something that is special for girls and I think a lot of what's been happening is people are like, 'well it's just more convenient' and I don't think girls are an afterthought," said Woodings. "I think we can make special places for boys and girls so they can grow and thrive in those unique environments."
Boy Scouts of America says it wants to create equal opportunities, but Woodings says they're already there. In fact, she says, the coveted Eagle Scout Award is equal to their Gold Award. Both will earn you an extra rank should you join the military.
Although Scouts BSA will start allowing girls, boys and girls will be kept separate, according to Boy Scouts of America.