Girl Scouts Just Shut Down Bigots in a Major Way
We’ll just say it, from the cookies to the rad accessories we really love Girl Scouts. Lots of people don’t know that Girl Scouts have kind of always been on the forefront of social justice. The org has famously supported troop members of all backgrounds (heck, a man can be a Girl Scout leader if he’s over 18), which is a big deal considering their brother organization Boy Scouts has been famously reluctant on the inclusion front. There’s even a line in the Girl Scout Law that pledges to “be a sister to every girl scout.” If that doesn’t say “equality” I don’t know what does.
Girl Scouts in western Washington really flexed that promise of sisterhood recently when they turned down a $100,000 donation. This is no chump change to the organization and could have been used to send 500 low income girls to summer camp. Yet this generous donation came with a seriously messed up stipulation. The Advocate reported that the donor included a note with their “gift” saying that they didn’t want any of their money “to be used to support transgendered girls.” And so the Girl Scouts, ever the paragons of politeness, sent that check riiiight on back.
Empowering as that refusal may be, 100 K is still a big chunk of money to lose so the Girl Scouts need our help. Watch this video and donate to their Indiegogo campaign so that these girls can get to camp and the organization can keep fighting the good fight.
Andrea Bastani Archibald, the chief expert from Girl Scouts USA, summed up the situation nicely by saying, “there is not one type of girl. Every girl’s sense of self, path to it and how she is supported is unique.”
This just proves that every day is a day to be proud to be a Girl Scout.
Tell us your best Girl Scout Story in the comments! Also can you start this lanyard for us?
(Photo via Peter Macdiarmid/Getty)
