Should Boys Be Allowed in the Girl Scouts?

Perhaps you’ve heard about Felisha Archuleta of Denver. For the last few months she’s been trying to sign her 7-year-old son up to join the Girl Scouts.

Why?

“I consider Bobby to be born in the wrong body,” Ms. Archuleta told a Denver television station.

According to the story, Bobby acts and feels like a girl even though he’s a boy. Not surprisingly the application for admission was originally denied, citing the fact that, well, it’s called the Girl Scouts. An appeal followed, and the Girl Scouts of Colorado reversed the original ruling.

In a statement officials declared:

“We accept all girls in kindergarten through 12th grade as members. If a child identifies as a girl and the child’s family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout.”

Welcomes her?

Gender confusion, or Gender Identity Disorder (GID), is a serious matter, largely because our gender identity is fundamental to who we are. Mothers and fathers help their children develop a healthy gender identity by demonstrating in a thousand different ways in everyday life the differences between men and women – and what it means to be a man or a woman.

That we’re seeing a continued rise in gender identity disorder can be attributed, I believe, to a variety of factors, not the least of which is the rise in fatherless homes. Boys learn to be men from observing and living around healthy male role models, most importantly their fathers. Mothers are also critical, of course, as it’s God’s ideal to have a child raised with a married mother and father in the home. Boys need healthy affirmation of their masculinity from both parents.

Likewise, girls need godly women to help guide and direct them as they grow, mature and develop an understanding of biblical femininity. The role of a father in a girl’s life is also vital. It is not an either-or proposition. And children also learn about how to relate to the opposite sex by watching their mom and dad relate.

Transgender advocates are celebrating this decision from the Girl Scouts of Colorado. Specific medical issues aside, though, gender identity is not a fork in the road of human development where we decide to go either male or female at some point. To be human is to be male or female, and those tracks don’t cross in childhood. They only seem as if they do in some unfortunate instances.

But rather than just lamenting this unfortunate development, I’d like to alert you to a wonderful alternative to the Girl Scouts. They’re called the American Heritage Girls. They are a rising Christian-based organization with a keen biblical understanding and appreciation of gender. In their own words, here is how they are described on their website:

American Heritage Girls is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country.

I’d encourage you to learn more about them. You can click here to find a local troop in your area. I think you’ll discover that what they stand for is in stark contrast to this current decision of the Girl Scouts of America here in Colorado.

Many of you grew up as scouts and have a personal connection to the organization. Some of you may currently have children in Brownies or Girl Scouts. I’d love to hear your experiences and impressions. What do the rest of you think about the Colorado Girl Scouts’ decision?

ALSO THIS WEEK: Monday: Halloween and the 95 Points that Changed the World Tuesday: How Well are You?

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