Scouting America to alter policies to maintain military support, Hegseth says
Source: CBS News
Scouting America will change several of its policies at the urging of the Pentagon, including one targeting transgender youths, if it wants to keep the U.S. military's support, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday.
Some of the changes mirror what the organization suggested to the Department of Justice earlier this year, which included discontinuing its Citizenship in Society merit badge and introducing a Military Service merit badge, the Pentagon said.
Under Hegseth, the Pentagon has taken aim at the military's partnership with Scouting America, decrying its historic rebrand in 2024 from the Boy Scouts and other changes in recent years that he sees as part of "woke culture" efforts that he wants to root out.
Hegseth said in a video posted on X that he had been "seriously considering" ending all Scouting America support after the organization "lost their way" and became "greatly wounded" as diversity, equity and inclusion efforts "crept in" and "the focus on God as the ruler of the universe was watered down to include openness to humanism and Earth-centered pagan religions."
Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/scouting-america-alter-policies-maintain-154949297.html
So he wants a Hitler Youth Corps?
Javaman
(65,517 posts)they won't actually do anything other than lie, cheat and steal.
the antithesis of the actual scouts.
tonkatoy8888
(186 posts)They're discontinuing the Citizenship in Society merit badge. Think about that. The Pentagon is insisting that a Citizenship badge be eliminated before offering their support to the Scouts? That's pretty transparent, don't you think? And replacing it with a Military Service badge? I did nazi that coming.
No trans kids. No civics. How did the girls escape being booted from scouting?
Good thing my kid is grown. We would have snatched his ass out of scouting so fast.
Well, if you didn't know before, these are the people who want to indoctrinate our children.
eringer
(522 posts)Scouting is buying time. Its been around for 115 years and has weathered rough patches before.
WestMichRad
(3,137 posts)Oy. Next, the military merit badge will become mandatory for all scouts.
They are aiming to create a MAGA youth corps.
LetMyPeopleVote
(178,030 posts)Last edited Fri Feb 27, 2026, 06:32 PM - Edit history (1)
I was one of the founders of my temple's scouting troop and my oldest was the first Eagle Scout for our troop. While I was also on the board of my Temple, an issue came up about the "official" BSA policy on gays in Scouting. This policy was intended to help keep the troops formed by LDS temples happy. I had to deal with board of the Temple and we had assurances from the leadership of our regional governing body that BSA had a "don't ask, don't tell" type policy with respect to sexual orientation of scouts. To make the board happy, I actually had to go meet with the leadership of our Council (the regional governing body). Among other things, I pointed out to the leadership of our council that my Temple and the other Temple with a scout troop had a good number of members on the board of United Way and other groups who help support scouting.
I am hoping that Hegseth is overstating the agreement with Scouting. I saw this in the Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/02/27/hegseth-scouting-america
Any application will have only two sex designations, male and female, and the application must match the applicants birth certificate, he said. Scouting will also make clear that biological boys and girls will not be allowed to occupy or share intimate spaces together toilets, showers, tents, anywhere like that.
In a statement to The Washington Post, Scouting America said that children have always joined according to their biological gender and that no modification was necessary on that issue.
Scouting has accepted transgender youth since 2017 and will continue to work with families to ensure transgender youth feel welcome in Scouting, it said. Scouting has extensive safeguarding policies and procedures in place to ensure the safety and comfort of youth members in all situations.
I am really not happy with Hegseth's attacks on Scouting. I hope that "don't ask, don't tell" is still the policy of scouting
lastlib
(27,958 posts)It was all about RESPECT for others with different life views--on religion, ethnicity, gender, politics. Because of that RESPECT for DIVERSE perspectives, Kegbreath considered it "woke." Same thing with admitting girls; -sheesh, the girls are better at the Scouting skills than the boys are--AND more motivated. But the friggin' MAGAts con't care, it's run the world their way, or eff off. And they specifically want to DIS-respect those who aren't straight white xtian males. Their vision for Scouting is MAGAt indoctrination--a tRumpYouth corps, Hitler Youth reborn. Fugg 'em!