The Boy Scouts Of America Is Changing Its Name After 114 Years To Help Emphasize Inclusion

This move is part of an effort to promote inclusion as the organization seeks to overcome challenges related to bankruptcy and numerous sexual abuse claims.

This name change marks a significant shift for an organization deeply rooted in tradition.

It wasn't until fairly recently that the Boy Scouts began allowing gay youths and girls to join.

The announcement came from Irving, Texas, where the organization is based. It was made during their annual meeting in Florida this Tuesday.

Roger Krone, the president and CEO who assumed his role last fall, spoke to The Associated Press before making the announcement.

He expressed a clear vision for the future: "In the next 100 years we want any youth in America to feel very, very welcome to come into our programs."

The new name will officially be adopted on February 8, 2025, which coincides with the organization’s 115th anniversary.

The Boy Scouts started to include gay youth in its programs in 2013 and lifted the ban on gay adult leaders in 2015.

By 2017, the organization announced it would start accepting girls as Cub Scouts in 2018 and into its flagship Boy Scout program, now known as Scouts BSA, in 2019.

Since then, over 6,000 girls have earned the prestigious Eagle Scout rank.

However, the Girl Scouts of the USA, which is a separate entity, has had disputes with the Boy Scouts concerning the recruitment of girls.

The Girl Scouts did not provide a comment on the matter when requested this Tuesday.

The name change has sparked a variety of reactions on social media. 

Some criticisms, like that from Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, focus on the removal of the word "boy" from the name. 

He tweeted: "With membership at historic lows, Boy Scouts of America decides to rebrand to make clear that 'boys' are no longer welcome. I’m sure that will help with recruiting."

The pandemic also saw a dip in membership for the Boy Scouts, similar to other organizations.

From a peak of over 2 million members in 2018, numbers have fallen to just over 1 million today, including more than 176,000 girls and young women.

The highest membership recorded was nearly 5 million in 1972.

Famous individuals who were scouts include presidents like Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and celebrities such as actor Harrison Ford and filmmaker Steven Spielberg. 

Krone emphasized the need to continue attracting new members: 

"Part of my job is to reduce all the barriers I possibly can for people to accept us as an organization and to join," he stated.

The inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts in 2021 included nearly 1,000 young women. 

Among them was Selby Chipman, who helped start an all-girls troop in Oak Ridge, North Carolina.

Her troop has grown from five to nearly 50 members.

She believes the name change will draw even more girls.

She shared: "Girls were like: ‘You can join Boy Scouts of America?’"

David Aaker, vice chairman of the branding and marketing firm Prophet, noted that rebranding could risk alienating longtime supporters who find the change unnecessary.

However, he praised the rebrand as strategic, explaining that it introduces a new conversation about the organization while staying true to its scouting roots.

"It’s a one-time chance to tell a new story," he said, also serving as a professor emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley Haas business school.

The shift to include girls in all scouting levels previously caused tensions with the Girl Scouts, leading to a lawsuit.

The lawsuit claimed that the Boy Scouts’ actions caused market confusion and hurt recruitment for the Girl Scouts.

The suit was settled after a judge dismissed these claims, affirming that both organizations could use the terms "scouts" and "scouting."

The National Organization for Women, among others, supported the inclusion of girls and applauded Tuesday’s announcement.

Online critics often used the term "woke" to express disapproval, with Representative Andrew Clyde of Georgia commenting on X: "Wokeness destroys everything it touches."

Nonetheless, Lois Alvar, a 20-year-old Eagle Scout and assistant scoutmaster from the Dallas area, supports the new name, believing it creates a more inclusive and safer environment for all scouts. 

"Having it nationally recognized that girls are being welcomed and included in scouting allows it to be a more safe space, just in general," she stated.

Last year, the Boy Scouts implemented a $2.4 billion bankruptcy reorganization plan, allowing the organization to continue operating while compensating over 80,000 men who reported being sexually abused as children within the program.

Although the official change to Scouting America won’t happen until next year, Krone anticipates that people will start using the new name immediately.

He emphasized the inclusive message this sends: "It sends this really strong message to everyone in America that they can come to this program, they can bring their authentic self, they can be who they are and they will be welcomed here," he concluded.