Taylor, a fourteen year old Californian member of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, is calling for a boycott of the organizations famous Girl Scout Cookies. She is calling for the boycott over the recent addition of a seven year old transgender child being accepted into the organization in Colorado in October of 2011. Taylor, who has been a Girl Scout for eight years, is enraged that the GSUSA allowed a child that is not a girl into the organization claiming that they have not been honest with others involved with the GSUSA. Although Taylor makes some valid points in her argument, I believe that her request to boycott Girl Scout Cookies is a blatant act of intolerance.

After Taylor shares a direct quote by the VP from an article by the Baptist Press explaining the reasons the organization allowed a transgender child into the group, she argues that if a transgender child that is a boy who wants to be a girl, “they’ll let him join based solely on his wishes and desires.” I disagree with this because transgender children may not control the desire to conform to the opposite sex. According to the American Psychological Association, many experts believe that biological factors such as genetic influences and prenatal hormone levels, early experiences, and experiences later in adolescence or adulthood may all contribute to the development of transgender identities.

Taylor later goes on to say that allowing transgender boys into GSUSA because it is an all girl program. She then uses the  “Ten Emerging Truths: New Directions for Girls 11-17,” specificly “Truth Number 4: Girls Connecting With Each Other Connects Them To You” which states, “Among girls 11-17, 92% identified the top advantage of being in an all-girl group is that it allows you to relate to other girls because they are experiencing the same problems as you… You can talk about different things with girls that you just can’t with boys. You can just be yourself and who you are, not something that you’re not.” This is a valid point and rule and a good example used by Taylor, but the The Girl Scout Law states that its members will be “friendly and helpful, considerate and caring” and “to respect myself and others… and be a sister to every Girl Scout.” Although Taylor’s first example is a valid rule, she is also breaking Girl Scout Law because she is discrimnating discriminating a fellow member of the organization. Also, I would think it shows more moral value to accept someone who is not normally accepted into society into a group where they can feel accepted by their peers.

Taylor later goes on to say that allowing transgender members would be dangerous for its girl member saying that the organization is breaking its own “safety rules” in letting them join. There is no evidence to back this claim up, and it is offensive and intolerant to the transgender children in the GSUSA. Every member (or members parents) are entitled to there own beliefs, but what Taylor did by trying to provoke a boycott was a hurtful and intolerant act to transgender children that are only looking for a place to fit it. Hopefully I now have enough support and specific examples to make the general observation “that’s just crazy.”

References

American Psychological Association-

http://www.apa.org/topics/sexuality/transgender.aspx

The Thang Blog-

http://fridaythang.com/blog/2012/01/11/call-for-girl-scouts-boycott-video-transcript/

Ten Emerging Truths-

http://www.girlscouts.org/research/pdf/ten_truths.pdf