Boy wanting to join Girl Scouts told 'no'

[Hot Pink]

Boy wanting to join Girl Scouts told 'no'...but Girl Scouts said 'yes'!
By Anastasiya Bolton

DENVER - Everyone has their favorite toys, no matter what age they are. For 7-year-old Bobby Montoya, it's Brats, Barbies and Strawberry Shortcake.

"I like girl stuff," Bobby said.

Bobby is a 7-year-old boy. His mother refers to him as a "he," but Bobby dresses and behaves like a girl.

"Bobby identifies as a girl, and he's a boy," Felisha Archuleta, Bobby's mom, said. "He's been doing this since he was about 2 years old. He's loved girl stuff, so we just let him dress how he wants, as long as he's happy."

Bobby is happy most of the time. But he says, sometimes in school, being a boy and dressing like a girl occasionally is tough. He's been bullied.

"It's hurting my heart," Bobby said. "It hurts me and my mom both."

Recently, Archuleta wanted to sign Bobby up for Girl Scouts. His older sister did it, and Bobby really wanted to join. Archuleta told 9NEWS when she brought Bobby to register, a troop leader told her Bobby couldn't join.

"I said, 'Well, what's the big deal?' She said 'It doesn't matter how he looks, he has boy parts, he can't be in Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts don't allow that [and] I don't want to be in trouble by parents or my supervisor,'" Archuleta told 9NEWS.

"It was like somebody told me I can't like girl stuff, and I have to change my name to something else," Bobby said.

Girl Scouts of Colorado released this statement to 9NEWS:

"Girl Scouts is an inclusive organization and 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. Our requests for support of transgender kids have grown, and Girl Scouts of Colorado is working to best support these children, their families and the volunteers who serve them. In this case, an associate delivering our program was not aware of our approach. She contacted her supervisor, who immediately began working with the family to get the child involved and supported in Girl Scouts. We are accelerating our support systems and training so that we're better able to serve all girls, families and volunteers."

Corey Barrett with the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Colorado says the Center is seeing young people exploring their gender identity at an earlier age.

"There has definitely been this increase of questioning at an early age," Barrett said, "I think it's all about providing a healthy environment for them for that to happen. Everyone needs to be prepared or at least have an idea from a policy and procedure stand point how they're going to address that. And make sure that the public is aware of that."

Dr. Shawn Worthy is a professor and clinical psychologist with Metropolitan State College of Denver, who specializes in family systems and mental health within family frameworks.

"I have a general philosophy about parenting," Dr. Worthy said. "Children are born like rocks. I mean, they're rough around the edges, and our job as parents is to flow over them like a stream and smooth out the rough edges. Nut the problem is when you try to mold them into what you want, you have to break them, you have to crack them, you have to change the shape. And when people aren't whole, and they aren't who they fully intend to be, then that's a difficult process also."

Dr. Worthy has some parenting tips for those parents who are going through this debate.

"If I were talking to my kids I would say, 'You know what, we determine how great people by who they are, by how kind they are, how smart they are, by what kind of people they are and not by how they dress, or the color of their skin or any other of those physical properties.' Cause those are just external manifestations. I would encourage my kids to get to know the person and then make a decision if that's a good person, if that's a good friend or not," Dr. Worthy said.

The statewide nonprofit center for the LGBT population offers an educational program for parents and children going through a similar situation. The program also connects parents to others who are experiencing the same things. Find out more about those programs here, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of Colorado in Denver, Colorado :: CenterLink Community Center Directory Listing.

Source: Boy wanting to join Girl Scouts told 'no'...But Girl Scouts said 'yes'! via reddit.com

My Reaction
It seems like this woman didn't properly represent the Girl Scouts when they went to sign Bobby up. Not knowing the organization's official stance on transgendered children, she rejected Bobby. It probably isn't nice being her now. I wish I could have joined Girl Scouts when I was a kid. Oh, well.

[Robert]

Imagine if Girl Scouts were recruited on the basis of their genitalia? What a sick world we would live in.

[Keelin]

Wow. I think I read about him somewhere else once.

[MommaFrog]

I was in girl scouts... I loved it, but a lot of the time it was a little too girly for me... i did love the camping tho!!!!

I can't beleive Bobby wasn't allowed in!!! It's not her fault she was born with a penis! This greatly concerns me...

I wonder what would happen if a "Cindy" tried to join Boy Scouts... Just sayin...

[Kidd]

Originally Posted by Hot Pink

"It's hurting my heart," Bobby said. "It hurts me and my mom both."

It's so sad for a seven year old to say something like that. I had to stop reading for a second...

[Hot Pink]

Originally Posted by MommaFrog

I was in girl scouts... I loved it, but a lot of the time it was a little too girly for me... i did love the camping tho!!!!

I can't beleive Bobby wasn't allowed in!!! It's not her fault she was born with a penis! This greatly concerns me...

I wonder what would happen if a "Cindy" tried to join Boy Scouts... Just sayin...

You need to read the whole article. Bobby did get in. The Girl Scouts have an existing policy concerning transgendered children that allows a MTF child to join. The recruiter didn't know about this policy or just didn't agree with it. At any rate, Bobby is a future Girl Scout.

[flymetothemoon]

What I don't get is why this is an issue at all. I've heard of the Girl Scouts taking male members who were not transgender, so why wouldn't they take Bobby? My uncle is/used to be (not sure which) a Girl Scout and a Girl Scout leader, and he is not transgender.

I'm glad Bobby was able to join, but I feel sorry for him that he was told no initially and that it made him feel like he was being told he couldn't do the things he likes to do.

[IsItSo]

Originally Posted by MommaFrog

I wonder what would happen if a "Cindy" tried to join Boy Scouts... Just sayin...

Not a chance. Boy Scouts doesn't allow gay members or troop leaders, while Girl Scouts does. Girl Scouts is a much more progressive organization, and this whole ordeal was just caused by one confused person, not by bigotry entrenched in the actual organization.

[Emberstone]

Originally Posted by IsItSo

Not a chance. Boy Scouts doesn't allow gay members or troop leaders, while Girl Scouts does. Girl Scouts is a much more progressive organization, and this whole ordeal was just caused by one confused person, not by bigotry entrenched in the actual organization.

that also is in part because boy scouts is basically these days nothing more than an arm of the mormon church, where as the girlscouts are a seperate organization free from religious interference. it is probably because the role of the girlscouts organization is in defiance of mormon views of the role of women, which is not about empowerment.

[fiddledeedee]

Originally Posted by IsItSo

Not a chance. Boy Scouts doesn't allow gay members or troop leaders, while Girl Scouts does. Girl Scouts is a much more progressive organization, and this whole ordeal was just caused by one confused person, not by bigotry entrenched in the actual organization.

Actually, there might be: in the UK at least, there are several girls in one of my local boy scout troops, and it isn't a big one in a city or anything. Though not the other way around; I'm not sure if this is because people are more OK with boyish girls than girlish boys, or just because no boys are interested in joining girl guides in my town.

[Emberstone]

Originally Posted by fiddledeedee

Actually, there might be: in the UK at least, there are several girls in one of my local boy scout troops, and it isn't a big one in a city or anything. Though not the other way around; I'm not sure if this is because people are more OK with boyish girls than girlish boys, or just because no boys are interested in joining girl guides in my town.

well, boy scouts of uk are a different group than the Boy Scouts of America which is a specific nation based institution.

[Hot Pink]

Originally Posted by Emberstone

well, boy scouts of uk are a different group than the Boy Scouts of America which is a specific nation based institution.

Exactly. They are, fortunately for the UK, separate. The American Boy Scouts are a lot more aggressive in their religious policies. You have to have belief in some kind of supernatural being. Atheists have been kicked out of the Boy Scouts. You can't be gay, transgendered, or female.

What's worse is that when you're kicked out of the Boy Scouts, they remove you completely from the history of the organization and take all the awards you earned away too. A scout master was found out to be gay and they stripped him of everything he earned, including his status as an Eagle Scout. They simply pretend that you were never there.

[musican]

Originally Posted by Kidd

It's so sad for a seven year old to say something like that. I had to stop reading for a second...

I agree. It's cute how simply honest kids are at that age and it just makes it that much more heartbreaking when they say something sad.

Bobby has a great mom and I hope the mom knows it. I find it interesting that she knows Bobby identifies as a girl but still uses male pronouns. Perhaps I'm reading too much into things. Either way, Bobby is lucky to have that support.

I was in Boy Scouts for a while, but I was bored out of my mind. I didn't get along with the guys (I still don't get along with guys very well) and they didn't do too much that I was interested in. My sisters were both in Girl Scouts and both my sisters were leaders at one point or another so I just became an honorary Girl Scout. I didn't go to the meetings usually, but I went camping quite often and that's what I wanted. I'm glad that Bobby was allowed to join since that is what her little heart desired.

[Emberstone]

Originally Posted by Hot Pink

Exactly. They are, fortunately for the UK, separate. The American Boy Scouts are a lot more aggressive in their religious policies. You have to have belief in some kind of supernatural being. Atheists have been kicked out of the Boy Scouts. You can't be gay, transgendered, or female.

What's worse is that when you're kicked out of the Boy Scouts, they remove you completely from the history of the organization and take all the awards you earned away too. A scout master was found out to be gay and they stripped him of everything he earned, including his status as an Eagle Scout. They simply pretend that you were never there.

which is in part because that is what the mormon church, which basically is the head now of the boy scouts, handles it. they excommunicate your ass, even though excommunication is anti-christian itself. christ and god never gave any one the right to do it, and it is a forigen concept to the bible itself.

I have a friend who has worked for the BSoA for twenty+ years, and she is looking forward to when she retires so she can fully support LGBT rights, because she has been told that she could be fired if she is caught or seen as a pride event. She was so happy when I came out, and told me to go out and live pride enough for the both of them.

It is a highly internally destructive organization. I went all the way through cub scouts, earning every pin in webalos (or however you spell it), which is no mean feat, and the moment I crossed the bridge into boy scouts, that was the end for me. The organization mistreated me for a year because they basically allowed everyone else to treat me like shit and walk all over me, even though I did 5 times as much work as the rest of the tenderfoots, and I just said "screw it" and left. the mormon kids advanced without effort, and the christian kids did all the mormon kid's work, and they were held back.

I was not shocked to find that alot of other non mormon boy scouts left for the same reason from other troups.

BSoA is run as a private club.

[GuardianKitten]

I'm so irritated by the videos I've found on this, they keep calling this poor girl a boy. v.v

But thank god, at least one scouts is accepting.

They are so getting cookie money :P

[roborama]

Makes me proud to still be a Girl Scout

[Emberstone]

yahoo had it up as front page news... I choose not to click on it, afraid of the comments section where no matter what the article is about, you will always find some right wing lunatic making everything into a exact copy of nazi style propaganda, with the subject matter either being about how jews are evil, or how obama is a muslim whim wants to eat your chirstian babies foreskins, or how gays are five times more likely to get a woman pregnant...

[grimAuxiliatrix]

This is sad. If the kid wants to be a girl scout, let him. Thankfully, he was accepted.

[Alexandria]

I was gonna say; when I saw this story a week ago, I read it as saying the girl scouts were happy to accept her and any mtf wanting to join. I spent a couple of years in boy cubs/scouts as well and found I hated it. My sis wasn't a fan of girl scouts either but she doesn't get along with most anybody. Pretty sure she and I were both born in wrong bodies, 3 years apart. Heh...

[Tim]

I know a guy who's a girl scout.

They needed another member of the troop, and he officially joined through the main office.

I don't see why there was ever an issue. There is no rule in the girl scouts saying guys can't join, so this case makes even less sense to me.