The 114-year-old organization Boy Scouts of America (which currently faces bankruptcy and a flood of sexual abuse claims — more than 80,000 men have filed claims saying they were sexually abused as children and teen scouts) announced this week that it is changing its name to Scouting America to better represent the organization as it strives to be more inclusive.
The organization, which serves over one million young people, is allowing all young people, including transgender children, to join as members.
CEO Roger Krone, who took over the Boy Scouts in the fall, said: “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.”
Conservative politicians and pundits including Fox News anchor Sean Hannity and U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) oppose the name change and all that it stands for.
Katie Britt tells Hannity that “we need President Trump back in the White House” because he’ll teach kids “to stand for the flag” pic.twitter.com/zB5ErwDxH6
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 9, 2024
On Hannity’s show, Britt used the Scouting America announcement to make a pitch for Donald Trump, who she says — with her now famous breathiness — needs to be “back. in. the White House” because, she says, he “won’t bend to the woke mob” and will teach children “to stand for the flag and love this country and to be who they are.” The latter description comports with the change the Scouts are making — allowing children to “be who they are,” but Britt sees it differently.
Note: The Scouts pledge hasn’t changed: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law.”
Hannity said: “Go woke, go broke,” adding, “The Boys Scouts, we can pretty much declare, are dead as of tonight.” (Technically, the Boy Scouts went broke before they went, as Hannity asserts, woke. The revamped image is part of an attempt to recover squandered prestige and to raise money to stave off the financial peril brought on by the lawsuits.)
The name change will officially take effect in February 2025.
NOTE: Below is Britt’s now famous response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, given from her kitchen.
The best representation of The Republican Party I’ve ever seen in my life.
Weird, creepy, fake, and phony. pic.twitter.com/PMCuVQV1LN
— Jeffrey Ⓥ (@LiftForever67) May 9, 2024