300Spartans's Comments
Huh? This is largely NOT my experience with either scouting organization. I was a leader in both my son's Cubs Scout pack and daughter's Girl Scout troop. While both were pretty accepting of all kids within routine weekly troop/pack level matters, that went completely out the door once one got out of the standard stuff.
When my son's pack went on a camping trip, girls would routinely tag along and participate in everything. There were even a couple packs in the area which went so far as to have girls as actual members wearing uniforms, being awarded badges, etc. Also, there were female scout leaders at every level I encountered who were treated as absolute equals.
Contrast that with our experience with GSUSA. Males of all stripes (youth, adult, leader, parent) were absolutely prohibited from being around the girls on any outing which went beyond sundown. I mentioned I was a GSUSA troop level leader; GSUSA second class citizen is more like it! I absolutely hated interacting with district and higher organizations or other troops as the ladies by and large resented my presence. There were a handful who even went so far as to pretend I didn't exist.
The GSUSA program itself seemed much better for girls than what my sister told me she saw in the 60s and 70s; much less cake baking and much more life skills involved. But I found the outfit in general extremely closed minded when it comes to gender issues.
When my son's pack went on a camping trip, girls would routinely tag along and participate in everything. There were even a couple packs in the area which went so far as to have girls as actual members wearing uniforms, being awarded badges, etc. Also, there were female scout leaders at every level I encountered who were treated as absolute equals.
Contrast that with our experience with GSUSA. Males of all stripes (youth, adult, leader, parent) were absolutely prohibited from being around the girls on any outing which went beyond sundown. I mentioned I was a GSUSA troop level leader; GSUSA second class citizen is more like it! I absolutely hated interacting with district and higher organizations or other troops as the ladies by and large resented my presence. There were a handful who even went so far as to pretend I didn't exist.
The GSUSA program itself seemed much better for girls than what my sister told me she saw in the 60s and 70s; much less cake baking and much more life skills involved. But I found the outfit in general extremely closed minded when it comes to gender issues.
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True story; our troop took part in a council sponsored sleep over at the headquarters. I drove a bunch of our girls there in the family van and escorted them to the front door. At the door was a woman in a GSUSA uniform and when I was about 15 feet from the door stepped into the entryway and put her arms up to block me. She counted the girls in, talked briefly with the troop leader then turned her back on me. God how I don't miss that nonsense.