Trump's week in review: Crackdown on healthcare fraud, Coast Guard members reinstated
5. Hegseth gives Scouting America 6 months to comply with promises related to DEI scaleback
In a video on Friday, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that he was giving Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America, six months to keep promises made to scale back its focus on diversity, equity and inclusion or risk losing its partnership with the federal government.
Hegseth explained how the promises Scouting America made in response to his previous threat to sever the federal government’s relationship with the organization involved “reviewing and replacing politicized, divisive and discriminatory language throughout the organization, programs and all publications” as well as the elimination of a “citizen in society merit badge that encouraged scouts to explore diversity, equity, inclusion and identity” and “asks those scouts to engage in activism on those topics.”
“Scouting America will modify its policy to make clear that membership will be based solely on biological sex at birth and not gender identity. That means that the application, any application, will have only two sex designations, male and female, and the application must match the applicant’s birth certificate. Scouting will also make clear that biological boys and girls will not be allowed to occupy or share intimate spaces together: toilets, showers, tents, anywhere like that.”
Hegseth stressed that “the Department’s support for Scouting America is contingent on them making substantial progress toward reaching these and many other positive changes in the next six months.” He also indicated that the Department might soon support rival scouting organizations such as Trail Life USA in the near future.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
