Boy Scouts Now Officially ‘Scouting America,’ Champion DEI Principles

Last weekend, after being in existence for 114 years, the organization formerly known as the Boy Scouts officially changed its name to Scouting America in an attempt to be more inclusive, as the organization offers merit badges championing DEI principles.

The Boy Scouts dropped “Boy” from their name in 2018 and became Scouts BSA. Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts, said succinctly, “Scouting is a game for boys under the leadership of boys under the direction of a man.”

“The change was made to reflect the organization’s ongoing commitment to welcoming every youth in America to experience the benefits of Scouting,” Scouting America stated. “Our new name is representative of the path we want Scouting to chart for the next century. … We recently celebrated the five-year anniversary of welcoming girls into the Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA programs. (Scouts BSA was formerly known as ‘Boy Scouts.’) There are currently 176,234 girls and young women across all BSA programs, including more than 6,000 who have earned the rank of Eagle Scout.”

“Though our name will be new, our mission remains unchanged: We are committed to teaching young people to be Prepared. For Life,” Scouting America president and CEO Roger A. Krone said. “This will be a simple but very important evolution as we seek to ensure that everyone feels welcome in Scouting.”

Scouting America includes a DEI badge titled the “Citizenship in Society Badge.” Scouting America says of the badge, “The focus of the Citizenship in Society Badge is to provide you with information on diversity, equity, inclusion, and ethical leadership. You’ll learn why these qualities are important in society and in Scouting …”

The organization also works with VIEW, stating, “The mission of VIEW is to promote an inclusive community for Scouting America’s LGBTQ+ employees and their allies. The group will strive to support diversity across the organization.” Lisa Schuchart serves as Scouting America’s Chief Diversity Officer. The organization has a rainbow-colored statement that reads, “Being yourself is never the wrong thing to do.”

In an open letter, Krone asserted that the organization still championed faith, writing, “Recently, some have wondered if Scouting’s commitment to faith was still strong. They supposed that by changing our name we might somehow be moving away from our core ideals. I can assure you that nothing could be further from the truth. The Scout Oath and Law begin with Duty to God and conclude with Reverent.”

The Scout Law states, “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”

Mark Hancock, the CEO of Trail Life USA, an avowedly Christian organization that caters to boys, stated, “While the Boy Scouts abandon their traditional boy-centered roots, we are dedicated to providing boys and their families a space that is geared towards boys. It may make financial sense for them to allow girls to join the ranks. But how is this beneficial for boys in a time when so many statistics point to boys losing ground? Scouting America has made it clear that their primary focus is no longer training boys to be men, nor do they prioritize aligning with biblical values.”