This article puts it across somewhat well, if I paraphrase-
It seems that now that ‘boy’ is gone from the name, while a mixed scouting organisation is admirable, it doesn’t sit well with me that it requires to cannibalise an already flourishing organisation.
Girls deserve an organisation of their own it seems, but boys do not.
An all male (and formerly heterosexual) group? Exclusionary expression of toxic masculinity and patriarchy.
An all female group? feminine empowerment and solidarity.
I think many people are missing the mark here. It’s not that boys and girls shouldn’t be allowed to have a joint scouting organisation, it’s the effectual dismantling of another group to achieve that goal that many object to.
Boy’s Life is the monthly magazine of the BSA. I wonder will it have to change too.
Boys tend to form large hierarchical groups more (which suits a scout group), whereas girls tend to form smaller cliques or dryads, on their own vAnecdotes are nice and all, but does anybody have any studies on the effects of gender-mixed scouts or similar groups? Judging by the effect of the presence of girls in other groups, ranging from military units to Internet forums, it is not always sunshine and rainbows. There are always benefits and drawbacks.
Boys are known to base their friendships on shared physical activities more; the ‘side by side’ phenomenon, have less fragile and emotional ‘bonds’ in a group, more likely to remain friends after a fight or argument, and have less emotional attachment to others than girls do.
Male-male relationships tend to be more ‘casual’ while female-female
Everyone’s personal experiences are different, but my personal anecdotes support these assumptions, others might not, and that’s fine.
Its important to note that these tendencies are merely trends and not the rule, that doesn’t mean that co-ed Scouts doesn’t have the right to exist. It does, and parents should have the right to choose that option. However, the same fact these trends are not the rule also and equally does not mean that Boy Scouts doesn’t have the right to exist either. For this reason, removing the word ‘boy’ from an organisation known for empowering young men (in the same way that Girl Scouts empowers girls) is symbolic of something also happening elsewhere in Western culture.
There should be a Boy and a Girl Scouts, and so should a co-ed Scouts if parent says or faith groups feel so inclined. Why? Because boys deserve a male only space to socialise and take part in shared physical activity just as much as girls deserve a female-only one. Why should it be the Boy Scouts and not Girl Scouts that has to move over, is it just because they’re better at what they do?