I am proud to be a Girl Scout leader. I believe in this organization and I am a very active volunteer and for the past two years have been a service unit manager. Earlier this week and today, I received email forwards from two leaders in my service unit, alleging that Girl Scouts had distributed an explicit sex pamphlet to underage girls attending a conference at the UN. I passed off the first forward as a wingnut wetdream. But the second made it clear that this one isn't going away and now GSUSA has issued an official statement that in my viewpoint, gives C-Fam a well deserved smack upside the head. More after the fold.
C-Fam, or Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute, has a long history of making accusations about Girl Scouts working in collusion with the United Nations to accomplish assorted nefarious deeds. In 2001, we were "anti Catholic." But the most recent allegation is even uglier:
(NEW YORK – C-FAM) The World Association of Girl Scouts and Girl Guides hosted a no-adults-welcome panel at the United Nations this week where Planned Parenthood was allowed to distribute a brochure entitled “Healthy, Happy and Hot.” The event was part of the annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) which concludes this week.
The brochure, aimed at young people living with HIV, contains explicit and graphic details on sex, as well as the promotion of casual sex in many forms. The brochure claims, “Many people think sex is just about vaginal or anal intercourse… But, there are lots of different ways to have sex and lots of different types of sex. There is no right or wrong way to have sex. Just have fun, explore and be yourself!” The brochure goes on to encourage young people to “Improve your sex life by getting to know your own body. Play with yourself! Masturbation is a great way to find out more about your body and what you find sexually stimulating. Mix things up by using different kinds of touch from very soft to hard. Talk about or act out your fantasies. Talk dirty to them.”
No article like this would be complete without finding out what the Concerned Women of America think about it, right?
Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women of America told the Friday Fax, “Governments and NGOs should be aware of Planned Parenthood’s insidious plan to work with UN agencies and girls’ organizations in order to profit from encouraging kids to be sexually active.”
Whatever, Wendy. CWA has also had Girl Scouts in their sites for years. They're constantly holding up American Heritage Girls as the Christian alternative to the heathen, lesbian loving, feminist supporting, (insert your favorite right wing epithets here) Girl Scouts of the USA.
This rumor seemed to have legs which is probably why GSUSA (not always the fastest to react, unfortunately) has issued an official statement. Here's what I was given to share with my leaders:
Earlier this month, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) was honored to attend and participate in the 54th Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations, where girls were encouraged to take action on global issues concerning women and girls. Our participation in that conference was recently the subject of numerous internet stories and blogs that are factually inaccurate and troubling. Here are the facts of that meeting:
• The Girls Only Workshop was jointly hosted by Girl Scouts of the USA, UNICEF’s Working Group on Girls, Girls Learn International and The Grail. The meeting was only open to the girls and participating sponsors.
• Only seven adults were in the room at the time of the meeting, each representing one of the sponsors of the event. No one from Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute was in the room to report on the event.
• 30 - 35 girls from across the world participated in this event. All teenagers.
• The girls received a copy of the only document they were working on titled (“The Girls’ Statement”). No other documents were given to the girls as part of this event.
• The room in question was also used to host other events over the course of the multi-day conference. Prior to our girls entering the room, we did not “sanitize’ the room to ensure that no trash or other items were left behind. We did request that those not associated with the sponsors to leave the room prior to our session.
• The Girl Scouts of the USA was not contacted by Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) regarding its initial story to discuss the facts of this event. Had they applied these basic journalistic standards, perhaps the true details of this event would have been reported.
Our Mission in Girl Scouting is to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. We continue to be proud of our girls and look forward to showing the world what our girls can do. We thank everyone for their support of Girl Scouting.
Sounds reasonable to me so I was at surprised that C-Fam is digging in their heels on this. I know, I know, it should be no surprise. The right has become quite adept at doubling down on the crazy. But when GSUSA issues an official statement denying the allegation, shouldn't that end it? Not according to C-Fam. In their mind, a denial = evidence:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Evidence Mounts that Girl Scouts Distributed Dangerous Planned Parenthood Sex Guide at UN Panel for Girls
...
The Girl Scouts have flatly denied that the sex guide was available at their UN conference. We stand by our story and based on new evidence we go further. The sex guide was distributed with the full knowledge and consent of the Girl Scouts-USA.
And then of course, the article goes on to offer zero evidence but lots of speculation. So much for not bearing false witness!
For the record, GSUSA does not take a position on family planning. Our membership is a cross-section of America with regard to opinions on religious and social issues and practices. GSUSA believes these matters are best decided by girls and their families.
Ditto for matters of sexuality, no matter how much K-Lo rants about lesbianism being rampant in Girl Scouts. Of course, she doesn't approve of Girl Scouts holding Earth Day celebrations, either. Um, okay.
For those wondering what has the right up in arms about Girl Scouts, it's really pretty simple. In 1993, GSUSA officially recognized that "the ways in which members identify and fulfill their spiritual beliefs are personal and private" and changed policy to allow some flexibility in the wording of the Girl Scout Promise:
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
Official policy statement:
Flexibility in Wording for Spiritual Beliefs in the Girl Scout Promise
Girl Scouts of the USA makes no attempt to define or interpret the word “God” in the Girl Scout Promise. It looks to individual members to establish for themselves the nature of their spiritual beliefs. When making the Girl Scout Promise, individuals may substitute wording appropriate to their own spiritual beliefs for the word “God.”
Well, there you go! We can't have people thinking for themselves. But wait, there's more:
Place of Religion in the Girl Scout Program
Girls are encouraged and helped through the Girl Scout program to become better members of their own religious group, but every Girl Scout group must recognize that religious instruction is the responsibility of parents and religious leaders. (Emphasis added by diarist.)
And letting families develop their own religious practices? How RADICAL!
For the record, here are some of the radical things Girl Scouts in my area have done over the last few years:
• made quilts for hospice
• donated and decorated a Christmas tree for a soup kitchen
• sang songs and delivered Valentines to nursing home residents
• planted trees in a floodplain
• filled backpacks with stuffed animals and toys and sent them to the battered women's shelter
• made blankets for an Iraqi orphanage
• "adopted" a local Marine serving in Afghanistan and when he was killed in action, started a successful campaign to name an eaglet after him
• served as ushers at churches all over our area on Girl Scout Sunday
• collected nearly 8 tons of food for the food bank
• learned to canoe, kayak, use computer programs, sew, cook, backpack, knit, camp, stargaze, sing, write letters, dance, do flag ceremonies, play softball, attend town hall meetings and MORE
Yes, I am proud to be a Girl Scout leader.