Scouting America Drops DEI Programs and Clarifies Biological Sex Policy Under Pentagon Agreement
Scouting America — formerly the Boy Scouts of America — has agreed to eliminate its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and clarify that membership is based on biological sex at birth, under an agreement with the Department of War that preserves the organization's longstanding military relationship. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the deal, which the New York Times, Washington Post, and Guardian all covered as a significant cultural and institutional shift. The Guardian characterized the agreement as Scouting America 'reinstating a ban on trans children to appease the Pentagon,' while military officials framed it as restoring the values-based partnership between the armed forces and youth scouting that dates back over a century. The agreement allows girls to continue participating for now — a pragmatic concession that acknowledges the organization's 2019 decision to admit girls — while drawing a firm line on gender identity policies.
Read Full Story at Gateway PunditStart children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
— Proverbs 22:6
The debate over scouting's values reflects a deeper cultural question about who shapes the formation of the next generation. For decades, scouting served as a partnership between families, faith communities, and civic institutions in raising young people with moral character. As that partnership is renegotiated, Christians are reminded that the training of children in truth and virtue is ultimately the calling of parents and the church — a calling no institution can replace.