ARNOLD WARNED ARNOLD
THE BOY SCOUTS had better be prepared for this. The nation’s most venerable boy’s club announced Wednesday it will go genderneutral, scratching its longstanding male-based brand for a more inclusive identity.
Gone is the “Boy Scouts of America.” In is “Scouts BSA.” Scout’s honor. The new name, which only af fects the program for 11- to 17-yearolds, is a nod to new rules in October that let girls to join.
Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh said the organization was scouting around for months before the new name was chosen.
“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 name change takes effect in February. The umbrella organization will retain its name, Boy Scouts of America or BSA. The term Cub Scouts, for kids 7 to 10 years old, is unisex, and will keep its name, as well.
BSA said allowing girls into the organization permits families with boys and girls to do one-stop shopping for activities.
The 108-year-old organization decided to open its doors to girls last year after several years of declining membership.
The organization says it Tom Arnold warned his “True Lies” co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger not to join “Celebrity Apprentice” because Donald Trump, a producer and former host on the show, “will f--k you over.” Schwarzenegger was skeptical until Trump started bad-mouthing his performance on the show almost immediately after he took over on Jan. 3, 2017. Ah-nuld lasted six weeks. “You’re right, he f---ed me over,” Arnold says Schwarzenegger later confessed. has nearly 2.3 million youth members between 5 and 21, a decrease from the 2.8 million members in 2012.
In its peak years, BSA had more than 4 million participants.
Not everyone was happy the gender wall came down, least of all Girl Scouts, who have raised concerns about losing members to the duo-gendered scout group.
“Girl Scouts is the premier leadership development organization for girls,” Girl Scouts CEO Sylvia Acevedo said. “We are, and will remain, the first choice for girls and parents who want to provide their girls opportunities to build new skills . . . and grow into happy, successful, civically engaged adults.”
Regional leader Fiona Cummings of Girl Scouts of North- ern Illinois, said the BSA’s decision to admit girls is among the factors that have shrunk her council’s youth membership by more than 500 girls so far this year.
She said relations with the Boy Scouts in her region used to be collaborative and now are “very chilly.”
“How do you manage these strategic tensions?” she asked. “We both need to increase our membership numbers.”
Several months before the Boy Scouts started admitting girls, the group announced it would accept and register transgender youths into its organization. In 2015, it ended its ban on gay leaders.