The Boy Scouts now goes by the name Scouting America. This follows after a number of policy changes that critics have viewed as woke.
However, Associated Press reports that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Friday that Scouting America now plans to make changes.
"I decided to meet with the current scouting leadership to convey our deep concerns. Based on that face and face conversation and other face to face conversations, Scouting America agreed to make several key reforms,” said Hegseth. “These and other changes that Scouting America's leadership committed to will hopefully result in a rededication to the foundational ideals that have defined scouting for generations."
For example, Hegseth emphasized that members will have to use their “biological sex at birth and not gender identity.” However, Scouting America says that does not change existing policies and that transgender youth will continue to participate the program.
Tony Perkins is the president of Family Research Council (FRC). He posted on X that, while he applauds Hegseth's efforts to "save the ‘Boy’ Scouts from themselves, it is probably too late."
Perkins said that Christians understand grace and redemption but also understand that it does not remove the consequences of errant behavior.
"Despite ample warning and even protest from within, the Boy Scouts under the leadership of Robert Gates, Rex Tillerson, and others chose to go down this aberrant path," wrote Perkins.
He said that they will never be able to return to its storied status and an American institution.
"Their fear of the winds of political correctness left the organization wandering in the woods of wokeness. Moral leadership driven by conviction, not convenience, matters - as thousands of boys now and in the future will unfortunately be able to attest to," wrote Perkins.
John Stemberger is the primary founder and chairman emeritus of Trail Life USA and president of Liberty Counsel Action. He made similar comments on the "Washington Watch" program.
"It is too late," said Stemberger. "You've already had the top leadership moving in one direction."
He added that this causing confusing signals.
"They used to have a slogan called ‘The Timeless Values of Scouting,’ and that is out the door," continued Stemberger.
All they care about, he stated, is numbers, money, and popularity.
“They want to be in mainstream society. They want to be Norman Rockwell. They don't want to be some extreme element,” said Stemberger. “This is why they have made the changes to begin with 12 years ago."
If one were to ask Stemberger, this is why Scouting America is now turning back.
"They see the tide turning, that the LGBT experiment we've forced upon kids is dangerous and hurting children. So now, they’re going ‘oh, my gosh’,” said Stemberger. “We have to see this because the government and the Trump administration has laid the law down and said that we're no longer going to give you preferred status among all the other youth organizations in this country."
