PLAYING TOGETHER

Boy Scouts Drops ‘Boy’ From Name as Girls Are Admitted

Boy Scouts will become Scouts BSA in February, girls will be allowed to join flagship program.

The Boy Scouts announced Wednesday that it will be dropping “Boy” from the name of its flagship program, renaming it the more gender neutral “Scouts BSA,” USA Today reports. Girls are already admitted to the Cub Scouts program, which is for 7- to 10-year-olds, and will be allowed to enroll in Scouts BSA next year. “As we enter a new era for our organization, it is important that all youth can see themselves in Scouting in every way possible,” Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh said. The umbrella organization will still be called Boy Scouts of America, and the Cub Scouts will keep its name. The Scouts BSA program, which is for 11- to 17-year-olds, will still be divided by gender, with “single-sex units pursuing” the same Eagle Scout award. The Cub Scouts already have over 3,000 girls in the U.S. enrolled in its program. The Girl Scouts were reportedly “blindsided” by the announcement, and “are gearing up an aggressive campaign to recruit and retain girls as members.”