Boy Scouts welcome transgender boys, prompting conservatives to flee

Source: thinkprogress.org - Tuesday, January 31, 2017
They couldn’t possibly let their sons associate with their trans friends. CREDIT: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer Considering how long the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) struggled with whether to allow gay and bi boys to participate in the organization (and only allowing LGB scout leaders and volunteers two years after that), the decision to allow transgender boys happened more quickly and cleanly in comparison. The organization announced the decision Monday evening. “Starting today,” the organization’s statement read, “we will accept and register youth in the Cub and Boy Scout programs based on the gender identity indicated on the application. Our organization’s local councils will help find units that can provide for the best interest of the child.” The BSA noted that many states and municipalities now protect against discrimination on the basis of gender identity. The timing of the announcement is probably not a coincidence. Just weeks ago, a New Jersey family filed suit against the BSA after it prohibited their eight-year-old son, Joe Maldonado, from joining because he is transgender. Though the BSA went to court to maintain its ban on gay Scouts back in 2000, it apparently didn’t want to take up a similar fight against trans Scouts. Maldonado was excited by the victory, but not just for his own sake. “We weren’t just fighting so I could go in, we were fighting so this doesn’t happen to anybody else,” he told NBC 4 after the decision. “A

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