Document Type
Honors Thesis
Abstract
Objective: To understand what the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA) are doing to accommodate nonbinary youth in their organizations. Method: Qualitative interviews with scouting management and nonbinary alumni and a discourse analysis on key scouting documents. Findings: Both organizations were open to nonbinary youth, but enthusiasm in welcoming them varied both between the organizations and across the country within each group. Girl Scouts self-classified as progressive while Boy Scouts did not; a nonbinary alumnus of Girl Scouts did not feel strongly about either organization. Conclusion: The findings highlight the need for more research in this topic. It also suggests that Girl Scouts may need to come together as an organization to reach a unified decision about nonbinary policies for consistency across the country. Boy Scouts may need to unify in a different way, with an attempt to make the results from their new merit badge more consistent nationwide.
Repository Citation
Brandt, Karen, "Accommodations for Nonbinary Youth in Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts" (2022). Honors Theses - Providence Campus. 56.
https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/student_scholarship/56