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You ask, “where have the wholesome Boy Scouts of America gone” and reference an article that implies that the BSA is going to offer condoms to minors at the upcoming World Scout Jamboree. Unfortunately, the author of the article didn’t want the facts to get in the way of a sensationalized story that is sure to generate lots of revenue from ad clicks.Here are the facts:1.) The Jamboree in question is not a National Jamboree (i.e. mostly Boy Scouts of America), but rather an international, World Scout Jamboree.2.) The US, Mexico, and Canada happen to be hosting the World Scout Jamboree in question.3.) The countries hosting the jamboree need to follow rules set out by the World Organization of the Scout Movement, which happens to include 162 national scout organizations.4.) The World Scout Jamboree will include youth between the ages of 14 and 17, and International Service Team (staff) members from ages 18+. In the United States, some states have an age of consent of 16 and 17. Internationally, the age of consent can be as low as 11!5.) While the Boy Scouts of America have just recently decided to admit girls into the Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA programs, girls have been in Venturing and Exploring for many years. Also, almost all of the other national scout organizations were already co-ed. So girls have been attending World Scout Jamborees for many, many years.6.) Since the World Scout Jamboree has been co-ed for many years, and since it isn’t uncommon for Scouts from some of the countries to be sexually active since it is perfectly legal and acceptable within their countries, and to avoid pregnancies and the spread of disease when a bunch of teenagers with raging hormones are brought together for a once in a lifetime event, the World Organization of the Scout Movement requires that condoms be available to both participants and the IST (International Service Team, which is the 18+ year old staff members).Those are the facts. The BSA is one of 162 organizations that together made up the rule, so it isn’t realistic to expect US morality to be projected by the BSA upon the other 161 organizations.As I mentioned above, BSA Venturing crews have been co-ed for many years, and if two minors were caught fooling around during an outing it would be a quick way to be booted out of the Venturing Crew.So I don’t think the BSA is any less wholesome than it was in the past, in fact I would say that keeping Scouts BSA boys and girls in separate, single gender troops shows that the BSA is still doing its best to provide a wholesome environment for its participants. In this case, the BSA really doesn’t have a choice because this isn’t their rule, and if they want to host a World Jamboree, it’s a rule they have to follow.Edit: Oh, one more thing. This isn’t a new requirement, the same rule has been in place for about 25 years.

The LDS church is not part of the Boy Scouts of America. The Boy Scouts of America (“BSA”) is a private, independent, federally-chartered organization.The BSA includes branches like Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturing, Sea Scouts (formerly part of Venturing), Explorers, and a couple others. But these are all part of the BSA organization.The BSA is part of the World Scouting Movement, but is not organizationally linked to scouting in other countries. Different national scouting organizations have different rules and customs in place.The BSA is organized geographically, and itself charters local Councils around the country. For instance, where I live we’re in the Pacific Skyline Council, and just to my north is the San Francisco Bay Area Council.Local Councils, in turn, issue charters to local community groups, such as churches, service organizations (e.g., Lions Club, Rotary) and so on to operate Scout units. (Units would be Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout troops, Sea Scout “ships,” Explorer posts, etc.)It’s sort of like a franchise system. BSA in this case would be the franchisor, and the community organization would be the franchisee. The “franchisees” have to run their units in accordance with the rules of the BSA, but select their own leaders, do their own recruiting, and so on. In BSA terms, these community organizations are the “Chartered Organizations” for the troops and so on.The LDS (“Mormon”) church charters more Scouting units (troops, packs, etc.) than any other organization. The Methodist church charters the second-most. However, there are thousands of community groups that also charter Scout units. My troop is chartered by the Rotary Club, the local Cub Scouts are chartered by the Lions Club instead.Boy Scout troops do not technically exist as legal entities. They are considered to be programs run by the Chartered Organization, and therefore certain things like whether donations to them are considered charitable donations by the IRS will vary depending on the status of the Chartered Organization. Donations to the BSA itself, however, are tax deductible. [You should consult your own tax preparer/attorney. What do I know about your tax situation?]Incidentally, chartering a Scout unit is not like sponsoring a little league team. The Chartered Organization literally legally owns the Scout unit. If a unit dissolved, for example, all the assets revert to the Chartered Organization.

It’s impossible to know what the internal motivations of people are. Here are some distinct possibilities:They realized it’s the right thing to do: Transgender boys are boys and they should be welcome by the boy scouts because… they’re boys. It’s possible that the BSA recognized the disconnect between their values and the actions of some troops and therefore moved to put a stop to discrimination at odds with their creed.They made a strategic decision in the face of legal action: There was a high profile lawsuit being brought against the BSA by a transgender scout who had been rejected by his troop when they discovered that he’s transgender. This may have been a strategic move: Better to voluntarily change course than lose in court. By making a voluntary move they are able to salvage some of their reputation in a way that complying with a legal order would not. They also spare themselves a potentially expensive and protracted legal battle. On the extreme end of cynical: By making this move voluntarily they deny transgender activists the ability to win a legal precedent.They feared the social consequences of making a stand against transgender scouts: The BSA has already weathered the social criticism of opposing both gay scouts and gay scout leaders. How much of a strain that’s put on the organization and their membership over the years, I can’t say, but they may have seen this as something that would be more damaging to the scouts than beneficial. Making this stand could cost them the support of financial backers, lose them access to facilities that troops rely on and have numerous other consequences that are purely social.I grew up as a military brat and for a significant part of my life that was filled with frequent moves and uncertainty, the Boy Scouts of America were a foundation that I could count on wherever I went. The BSA is where I learned to backpack and that gave me access to areas of the American Wilderness not seen by your average tourist who camps a stones throw from where they park their car. I didn’t play team sports for most of my life growing up but the BSA is where I learned teamwork and group problem solving and no matter where I moved there was always a troop with their door open and a team I could be a part of. The BSA did a great deal for me.As a trans woman, I struggle with a BSA that rejects people like me. For trans youth who already face a high rate of harassment, bullying and alienation, the BSA could be a refuge and a rock where transgender boys could know that they are always welcome. A place where, in an uncertain world that hates them for what they are, they will be safe.I cannot help but feel that rejecting transgender boys stands in opposition to the values of the BSA which is part of what makes that rejection so painful. As someone who was once a scout, it feels like a betrayal. What happened to being kind, courteous, helpful? When did the BSA become an organization that would look at one of the most marginalized, most abused group of young men in our country and say “we will not help you, we will not offer you a place of safety or belonging, we will not show your kindness or respect, you will not be welcome here.”When I was a scout, I was a child. The bigotry may always have been there and I may not have seen it because I saw with a child’s eyes. But… that’s not the BSA that I remember. The BSA that I remember aimed to do good works for their communities and to build communities.So, I choose to believe that the BSA recognized that they are not living up to their own values. That in this moment of being tested, they saw the lack in themselves and moved to make themselves a better organization. They may have had other reasons… if so, I’d rather not know that. I’d like to keep what childhood illusions I can.