Boy Scouts dropping word 'Boy' from name after accepting girls into program

For 108 years, the Boy Scouts of America's flagship program has been simply known as the Boy Scouts.

But now, as girls will soon be joining the ranks, the organization says that name will change.

The group announced Wednesday it will drop "boy" from the program's name by next February to simply be called Scouts BSA.

Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh told The Associated Press the change reflects a move to be more gender inclusive.

“We wanted to land on something that evokes the past but also conveys the inclusive nature of the program going forward,” he said. “We’re trying to find the right way to say we’re here for both young men and young women.”

The parent organization will stay the Boy Scouts of America, and the Cub Scouts — serving children in kindergarten through fifth grade — will also keep its title, the AP reported. But the Boy Scouts, which serves 11- to 17-year-olds — will don the new Scouts BSA name.

There have been mixed feelings since the Boy Scouts announced last October that it would start letting girls enter the ranks.

Locally, there are 32 Boy Scouts of America units in the Manatee District: 14 troops, 14 packs, two posts, one ship and one crew, according to the Manatee District Units list.

Most members and leaders of the area's Boy Scout community are welcoming of girls joining the club, but some are wary of the changes may negatively impact young boys.

Tom Miller is the scoutmaster for Troop 72 out of Palmetto, the same troop his 17-year-old son, Christopher, is a member of.

Miller, who has been involved in the program's leadership for 16 years, says he has mixed emotions about the upcoming changes.

"I’ve seen kids with older or younger sisters who wanted to do it too, so I can see a benefit for the girls joining," Miller said. "But on the other hand, I'm just cautious that we don't lose the male end of it."

He did say, though, that considering the times and having the girls in the system, the name change makes sense.

Mark Landers, scoutmaster for Troop 22 in Palma Sola, expressed excitement with what's to come. Landers is an Army veteran who was a cub scout and eagle scout in the same troop he now oversees. Plus, his 12-year-old son, Charlie, is currently a boy scout in the troop.

“I’m on board with it. The name change doesn’t bother me at all, it’s reflective of where we’re headed with including girls," he said. "I think it’s going to create new opportunities. I think the traditions will continue but in a new, exciting way ... it doubles the opportunity to build character and make good citizens in the community."

Local Girl Scouts of the USA officials said they were aware of the name change, but are more concerned about the overall co-ed experience.

"We have known for quite some time they were going to change their missions and start recruiting girls but we truly believe the leadership program we provide for girls is the absolute best program they can have, and we believe it is delivered best in a single-gender environment," said Mary Anne Servian, CEO of Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida.

Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, which is headquartered in Sarasota, represents 10 counties of Girl Scout organizations composed of 6,000 girls, the organization says.

"This program is just the best place for girls to be in order to prepare them for their equal place in the world," Servian says.

"With them being in a coed environment, our research shows that as early as the age of 7, girls feel that they are not as smart as boys and don't feel like they can speak up as much. We need to teach girls at a very young age that they have a voice so they can really become more independent woman to find their courage, confidence and character to be leaders in tomorrow's world."

So far, the Boy Scouts of America say that more than 3,000 girls have joined the Cub Scout packs participating in the first phase of the new policy. The pace is expected to intensify over the summer under a national multimedia recruitment campaign called "Scout Me In," the AP reported.

With the name change, Surbaugh said that both boys and girls will likely refer to themselves as Scouts BSA rather than adding "boy" or "girl."

Once set in motion, the program for the older boys and girls will largely be divided along gender lines, with single-sex groups doing the same types of activities and earning the same collection of merit badges.

Surbaugh told the AP that having separate units should help lessen concerns that girls joining for the first time might be at a disadvantage when seeking leadership opportunities.

This story was originally published May 2, 2018 at 8:42 PM with the headline "Boy Scouts dropping word 'Boy' from name after accepting girls into program."