A seven-page document developed by the Girl Scouts about the assimilation of transgender “girls” into local troops goes into great detail about secrecy and safety but doesn’t say a word about the concerns of real girls and their parents.
“Guidance for Councils on Transgender Issues” was sent to Breitbart News by Christy Volanski, an activist mom who left Girl Scouts as the organization moved decisively into leftist politics and social issues. The draft document says it was “prepared and endorsed by GSUSA Transgender Issues Task Group.”
The draft document appeared briefly on the website of the Girl Scouts of Utah but was subsequently taken down. Spokesman Hilary Dent confirmed to Breitbart News that the document is real but says, “…it was a draft document to be used internally to aid local councils in addressing transgender youth. It is intended for guideline purposes only and has never been a formal policy.”
The document makes clear what has been widely reported, that boys wearing dresses are welcome in what has always been a single-sex organization.
Secrecy is one of the Girl Scouts’ chief concerns. Some of the boys and their families will want to be open about their real sex. However, for those who prefer secrecy, with the exception of “key team members” who will shepherd the boy into his Girl Scout experience, Girl Scouts USA fully supports keeping the boy’s status secret from the real girls in the troop or their parents. The document even says it may be preferable not to tell the leaders of Christian churches that sponsor troops and who may have an objection.
The document says the boy will be welcomed into tents, bathrooms, and showers though it recognizes the boy may “have concerns about girls seeing a transgender girl’s [penis].” The document “strongly recommends” that the troop leader needs to be told about his status just in case there is an “emergency or other high stakes situation” that might “expose the transgender girl to unnecessary risk of embarrassment or physical harm.” The Task Force does not make clear why a troop leader taken by such a surprise would harm a boy.
Nowhere in the document is there any consideration of those in Scouting who may object to this controversial policy change. The document focuses almost exclusively on welcoming the boy and also ensuring he is “safe”, which is mentioned 12 times in the short document.
- The setting must be “emotionally and physically” safe.
- The environment should be “positive and safe”.
- The boy must have “safe and supported experience”.
- Raising awareness will create a “safe community.”
- A “safe space” should be created for the family.
There is nothing in the document about the safety of the real girls.
One of the more implausible assertions in the document is that “…8% of Americans personally know someone who is transgender…” Given a U.S. population of 318 million, this would mean more than 25 million Americans know at least one of only 700,000 transgenders, which is the estimate of the pro-LGBT Williams Institute at UCLA. The implausibility increases when you realize that many if not most transgenders either live in secret or at least try to pass without announcing their new “identity.”
There is a final paragraph about “transgender boys”, that is girls who think they are boys. They are no longer welcome in the Girl Scouts, though the Scouts urge an “open dialogue” with the girl and her family “that supports a positive departure from Girl Scouting…”
In short, some boys with penises are welcome in the Girl Scouts but some girls with vaginas are not.
Follow Austin Ruse on Twitter @austinruse
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