For the second time in less than five years the Girl Scouts of America are taking a strong and costly public stand to support transgender girls.
Recently the the Girls Scouts of Western Washington received a $100,000 donation to send 500 girls to camp. The catch? It couldn’t be used on trangendered girls.
In late May, as news of Caitlyn Jenner’s transition was blowing up your Facebook and Twitter news feed, Western Washington Council Leader Megan Ferland received a letter from the donor with a brief request: Please guarantee that our gift will not be used to support transgender girls. If you can’t, please return the money.
And not bowing to bigot, return the money she did.
In a short letter, she informed the donor that she would, in fact, be returning the money. Her reasoning was simple. “Girl Scouts is for every girl,” she says. “And every girl should have the opportunity to be a Girl Scout if she wants to.”
Girls Scouts USA Chief Girl Expert Andrea Bastani Archibald said in a statement last May the non-profit would continue to support diversity, especially around transgender issues.
“There is not one type of girl. Every girl’s sense of self, path to it, and how she is supported is unique,” she wrote. “If a girl is recognized by her family, school and community as a girl and lives culturally as a girl, Girl Scouts is an organization that can serve her in a setting that is both emotionally and physically safe.”
Yesterday, the troop launched an Indiegogo fundraiser called #ForEVERYGirl, asking the public to “help us raise back the $100,000 a donor asked us to return because we welcome transgender girls.”
In one day they have received nearly $125,000 from over 2,500 people.
“THANK YOU for sending the loud and clear message that Girl Scouts is for EVERY girl!!” the troop wrote on their fundraiser page.” With that support girls can join a troop, go to camp and participate in a multitude of other life-changing Girl Scout experiences even though their families can’t afford to pay for them.”
As of 3pm cst they have raised over $260,000. You go girls!