The organization formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America first allowed girls to become scouts almost a decade ago, in 2018. Membership has since fallen by 58%. The New York Times describes this as a “triumph.”To be fair, the op-ed describing this change does not address scouting membership levels at all. Instead, it is more of a personal essay written by a mother celebrating her daughter’s attainment of the Eagle Scout rank. Actual boys are rarely mentioned in the piece, and when they are, it is only to insult and dismiss them.The author recounts how her scouts “were sometimes treated as intruders” and “have been catcalled by boys,” behavior that some parents allegedly tolerated because “boys should be able to be boys.” This behavior is completely unacceptable, and there is no excuse for boys treating anyone like that or for parents tolerating such behavior. But the idea that boys need a space to be boys is a completely separate question from how they should act in spaces where boys and girls are together.
The author again misses the point in the very next paragraph, writing, “The more serious challenge is a chorus—echoed at the national level — claiming that Scouting has lost its way and that it should be a space just for boys.”Members from Huntington Beach’s Boy Scouts of America Troop 1 carry a giant American flag along Main Street as they participate in the 122nd Huntington Beach 4th of July Parade in Huntington Beach on Saturday, July 4, 2026. (Jeff Antenore / Orange County Register via Getty Images)
