Scouting America backtracks from DEI, American Heritage Girls calls move ‘hollow’ and politically driven
Caroline MolloyScouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America, is reportedly moving away from its DEI policies after the Department of War threatened to sever its partnership and cut federal funding unless the organization returns to its founding principles.
Sean Parnell, assistant to the Secretary of War for public affairs, explained on X that the Department of War has been reviewing its relationship with Scouting America for several months. The review found that the organization’s practices do not align with an executive order President Donald Trump signed last year, which required federal contractors to cut radical DEI policies. Parnell said the review also discovered that for more than a decade “Scouting America’s leadership has made decisions that run counter to the values of this administration and this Department of War, including an embrace of DEI and other social justice, gender-fluid ideological stances.”
He said that Scouting America has “firmly committed to a return to core principles,” which he characterized as “God and country.” Parnell also said that Scouting America and the Department of War are nearing an agreement to continue the partnership provided that Scouting America keeps its promise.
“They are on the clock, and we are watching,” Parnell said.
However, American Heritage Girls’ (AHG) founder and executive director emeritus Patti Garibay criticized Scouting America’s backdown as a calculated attempt to cater to funding sources rather than an honest return to traditional values. In an emailed press release, Garibay said that Scouting America’s promises “ring hollow.”
