feminist-engineeringstudent:profeminist:Follow up from my last post about the Girl Scouts now allowi

feminist-engineeringstudent:profeminist:Follow up from my last post about the Girl Scouts now allowing transgender scouts!The Meaning of “Serving All Girls”Guest Post by Andrea Bastiani Archibald, Ph.D., Chief Girl Expert, GSUSA“Girl Scouts has valued and supported all girls since our inception in 1912. There is not one type of girl. Every girl’s sense of self, path to it, and how she is supported is unique.The foundation of diversity that Juliette Gordon Low established runs throughout Girl Scouting to this day. Our mission to build “girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place” extends to all members, and through our program, girls develop the necessary leadership skills to advance diversity and promote tolerance.If a girl is recognized by her family, school and community as a girl and lives culturally as a girl, Girl Scouts is an organization that can serve her in a setting that is both emotionally and physically safe.  Inclusion of transgender girls is handled at a council level on a case by case basis, with the welfare and best interests of all members as a top priority.As we face a complex and rapidly changing 21st century, our nation needs all girls to reach their full potential, which has been our focus for more than 103 years.”From the Girl Scouts blog   Awesome!Girl Scouts of Utah has a troop out of the Pride Center that welcomes girls, LGBTQ+, non-binary and trans children, as well as children from LGBTQ+ families. So, any child who wants to. http://www.sltrib.com/home/2407299-155/new-girl-scout-troop-starts-at  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Wow, that’s amazing!New Girl Scout troop starts at Utah gay pride center“The Girl Scouts are opening a troop at a gay pride center in Salt Lake City that officials say will welcome transgender youth and children from LGBT families.Though the national organization says it isn’t the first to openly invite transgender youth, the new group is drawing attention in conservative Utah where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups have long struggled to find acceptance and were only recently given anti-discrimination protections.“Girl Scouts is all about empowering girls to become leaders who make the world a better place,” said Shari Solomon-Klebba, who has helped start troops at shelters and refugee centers. “Why not at the Pride Center?”The new Utah troop had its first meeting Monday with five girls ages 7 to 11. They made friendship bracelets, learned the Girl Scout handshake and sang songs.Salt Lake City mother Sarah Hemmert said she brought her two daughters because her family includes members who don’t conform to the gender they were born with, and she wants her girls to be in a place where their family dynamic is accepted.“They loved it. They had a great time, and they want to go back,” she said.Though there aren’t any transgender members of the group now, Utah Pride Center Director Sheila Raboy said that she expects some to join. It’ll also help LGBT parents who want to help their kids with scouting, she said.“These girls will be able to enjoy the Girl Scouts the way girls who are from regular, heterosexual families are able to enjoy it,” she said.There are no prohibitions on LGBT leaders in the Girl Scouts of the USA, Director of Communications Joshua Ackley said in an email message. Any adults can volunteer, though all are vetted and undergo a background check.The Girl Scouts consider diversity one of their core values, and in an era when the rest of the country was segregated the organization welcomed scouts of all races, Ackley said.”Read the full piece here -- source link

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