© Gary Ireland via APThis June 2016 provided by their father, Gary Ireland, shows 15-year-old Sydney Ireland, left, of New York, with her bother, Bryan, who is an Eagle Scout, at a National Organization for Women conference in Washington. For several years, Sydney has been an unofficial member of her brother's troop in Manhattan, participating in many of its activities but unable to earn merit badges to start on the path to Eagle rank.
After many years of divisiveness, the Boy Scouts of America have opened their ranks to gay and transgender boys. Yet a different membership dispute persists: a long-shot campaign to let girls join the BSA so they have a chance to earn the prestigious status of Eagle Scout.
Just last week, after the BSA announced it would admit transgender boys, the National Organization for Women issued a statement urging the 106-year-old youth organization to allow girls to join as well. NOW said it was inspired by the efforts of a 15-year-old New York City girl to emulate her older brother, who is an Eagle Scout.
"Women can now hold all combat roles in the military, and women have broken many glass ceilings at the top levels of government, business, academia and entertainment," said NOW President Terry O'Neill. "It's long past due that girls have equal opportunities in Scouting."
For now, it appears the Boy Scouts will hold firm. Communications director Effie Delimarkos noted that
the BSA already has some coed programs and might consider more of them, but views boys-only programs as a fundamental cornerstone of its mission."We're certainly committed to finding program options that work for the entire family — it's an area we continue to evaluate," Delimarkos said. "But we also feel that the benefit of a single-gender program is an important priority."
The goal of coeducating the Boy Scouts has a long history.
In 1995, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of a California girl, Katrina Yeaw, accusing the BSA of discrimination for rejecting her application to join.
The case reached the California Supreme Court, which upheld the BSA's right to set its own membership criteria. In 2015, a group of girls in Northern California formed an independent troop called the Unicorns and unsuccessfully applied to affiliate with the BSA.
Comment: Adult criminal status at age nine...fourth graders by western standards.