She's a real troop-er!
NY girl eager to join co-ed Boy Scouts
Sydney Ireland has wanted to be a Boy Scout since she was 4 years old, joining in troop meets in the East Village with her big brother.
“I remember we got to create little boats to race, and we got to race cars — the ‘Pinewood Derby,’ ” she said. “And we got to go camping, and it was such a fun experience.”
For the next dozen years, Sydney was an “unofficial” Boy Scout at her brother Bryan’s Troop 414 on East 14th Street — wearing the uniform, earning badges and rising in rank in hopes of one day being the first female “Eagle Scout.”
And so she was thrilled Wednesday when the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced it is removing the word “boy” from the name of its scouting program for ages 11-17, ahead of letting girls join for real, starting next February.
Instead of the “Boy Scouts,” they’ll be called “Scouts BSA,” in a nod to the parent organization, which is keeping its name.
“I think it’s amazing that they made this change,” said Sydney, 16, who has been petitioning for years in hopes of ending the Boy Scouts’ “no girls” rule.
“Allowing in young women, I think it’s incredible — they listened, and I think it’s incredible they did that too.”
Each summer, Sydney’s family lives in Ontario, where she’s a longtime official member of Scouts Canada, which is co-ed, just like in every other country under the international scouting umbrella, the World Organization of the Scout Movement.
“The United States is the only Western country in the world that doesn’t allow young women,” said Sydney’s dad, Gary.
BSA has made progressive strides in the two years since new Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh took office, opening the tent flaps to gay scouts and troop leaders, along with transgender scouts who identify as boys.
The Cub Scouts recently began admitting younger girls, with 3,000 now participating across the country.
Admitting older girls into “Scouts BSA” is the next frontier.
“The changing of the name sends a powerful message,” said Gary Ireland, a lawyer and troop leader. “Still, there’s no reason that they shouldn’t be allowed to join [the Boy Scouts] today.”
Sydney is impatient, too. Come February, she’ll be only five months away from turning 18, the cut-off year for scouting.
She has nothing against the Girl Scouts but wants to join all of the accomplished people who have been Eagle Scouts — like astronauts and military leaders.
“The Boy Scout principles are the guiding principles of my life,” she said.