BREAKING: Boy Scouts agree to ditch DEI, keep boys and girls separate in showers, lodging after Pentagon pressure

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth revealed on Friday that Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America, is ending DEI in its programs and implementing measures to separate boys and girls by biological sex in toilets, tents, and other "intimate spaces." 

Hegseth said he had been "seriously considering" ending Department of War support for the youth organization, "But, before making this big change, I decided to meet with the current scouting leadership to convey our deep concerns."

He said that Scouting America agreed to "key reforms" in order to continue the partnership. The organization, Hegseth said, signed a memorandum of understanding for partnership and policy alignment, agreeing to "full adherence with the principles contained in Executive Order 14173," also known as "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity," which was signed in Trump's first week back in office.
 

Hegseth noted the organization’s strong history of having young boys go on to become prominent figures under the organization’s old name, Hegseth said, "After 2012, however, the Boy Scouts lost their way, and a once great organization became gravely wounded. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, DEI, crept in. The name was changed to Scouting America. Girls were accepted. The focus on God as the ruler of the universe was watered down to include openness to humanism and Earth-centered pagan religions."

"Along the way, standards were lowered and merit destroyed in favor of an insidious radical woke ideology that is anti America and anti American. The result, membership cratered. Americans didn't want this. In 1970, 10 million boys participated in Boy Scouts. Currently, less than 1 million boys and girls participate." He said that the changes the organization had made "jeopardized the relationship" with the Department of War. 

Hegseth said Scouting America has agreed to "comply immediately" with the executive order. "This includes reviewing and replacing politicized, divisive, and discriminatory language throughout the organization, programs, and all publications. No more DEI. Zero." The group has also agreed to discontinue its "Citizen in Society" merit badge, which he said "encouraged scouts to explore diversity, equity, inclusion, and identity. They always mask it under a name that sounds great, but soon it’s something else, and then asks those scouts to engage in activism on those topics."

The group has also agreed to "modify its policy to make clear that membership will be based solely on biological sex at birth and not gender identity." He added, "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." Additionally, the group will now waive registration fees for children of active duty, National Guard, and reserve families, and will introduce a new "military service merit badge."

"These and other changes that Scouting America’s leadership committed to in that room right over there will hopefully result in a rededication to the foundational ideals that have defined scouting for generations: duty to God and country, leadership, character, and service." Hegseth said he hopes that one day the organization will return to its roots as being a boys-only organization, saying, "maybe someday."

In making the changes, the War Department will allow for "Scouting America activities to occur on U.S. military installations and in DOW facilities, with appropriate logistical services support, in the United States, its territories or in foreign countries as authorized and approved under applicable law and DOW policy," per the MOU.