Boy Scouts of America to begin accepting transgender boys

Members of the Boy Scouts wait to march in the Veterans Day parade on 5th Avenue in New York on Nov. 11, 2014.  Photo courtesy of Reuters/Lucas Jackson
Members of the Boy Scouts wait to march in the Veterans Day parade on 5th Avenue in New York on Nov. 11, 2014. Photo courtesy of Reuters/Lucas Jackson

(Reuters) The Boy Scouts of America said the group would begin accepting transgender boys, bucking its more-than-century-old practice of using the gender stated on a birth certificate to determine eligibility.

“Starting today, we will accept and register youth in the Cub and Boy Scout programs based on the gender identity indicated on the application,” Boy Scouts of America communications director Effie Delimarkos said in an emailed statement.

Delimarkos cited shifting definitions of gender under state laws, which can “vary widely from state to state,” in explaining the change.

She said that while the organization offers programs for all youths, its Cub and Boy Scout programs are specifically for boys. The change will allow children to apply even if male is not listed on their birth certificate.   Continue reading