This Saturday marks 115 years since William D. Boyce, a publisher from Chicago, established the Boy Scouts of America—but the long-standing organization has evolved significantly, including a name change that starts today.

Originally, the group sought to instill qualities of good citizenship and leadership in young boys through adventurous activities such as camping, community service, and earning merit badges. However, the organization has faced years of controversy stemming from sexual abuse incidents and discrimination issues.

As of today, the Boy Scouts have officially rebranded themselves as Scouting America to acknowledge their recent inclusion of both genders.

The renaming follows the integration of girls into Cub Scouts in 2018 and into the Boy Scouts in 2019. The term “boy” was removed from the organization’s name in 2018, culminating in the recent announcement outlining their new branding as Scouting America last spring.

Currently, Scouting America boasts over 1 million members, of which about 20% are young girls.

Roger Krone, the CEO of Scouting America, shared with YSL News that the changes are designed to resonate with the “youth of today.”

Here’s a recap of the organization’s past:

Founding Years

Scouting America owes its inception to a chance encounter on a foggy evening in London more than a century ago.

In 1909, during his visit to the city, William D. Boyce reportedly got lost and was helped by a young boy who offered to guide him. When Boyce tried to give the boy a tip, he declined, saying it went against his scout principles.

Inspired by this experience, Boyce contacted Robert S. Baden-Powell, the founder of the British Boy Scouts, and decided to establish a similar organization in the United States. He officially incorporated the new group in Washington, D.C. on February 8, 1910.

Sexual Abuse Controversies

The Boy Scouts’ history is also marked by serious controversies, notably sexual abuse claims and discrimination issues.

Starting in the 1990s, allegations of sexual misconduct by scout leaders began to emerge. The book “Scout’s Honor: Sexual Abuse in America’s Most Trusted Institution” highlighted nearly 2,000 accusations against scoutmasters.

However, it wasn’t until over ten years later that the full scope of these issues came to light. A settlement in 2010 mandated the organization to pay $18.5 million to a former scout who had been abused and required them to release 14,500 pages of confidential “perversion files” from 1959 to 1985 detailing suspected child molesters.

Some documents exposed situations where predators were kept from leadership roles, while others revealed local scout officials and community members who aided in hiding the abuse.

In 2020, the organization sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy to address compensation for more than 80,000 individuals who claimed to have been sexually abused by troop leaders. It successfully exited bankruptcy in 2022 and set up a $2.4 billion fund for settlement payments.

Issues of Inclusion

Throughout its history, the organization has adapted its membership rules on various occasions.

The last Boy Scout troop officially integrated in 1974, two decades after the Supreme Court determined in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated schools were unconstitutional. That year, the NAACP took legal action against a Utah troop, associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that excluded Black participants.

In 1978, the Boy Scouts enforced a policy that barred gay individuals, both youth and adults, from joining or serving as leaders. They justified this by stating that “homosexual conduct” conflicted with the Scout Oath’s moral standards.

This broad exclusion lasted over thirty years until the Boy Scouts began allowing gay youth to join in 2013 and gay adults in 2015; however, church-sponsored troops retain the authority to exclude members based on sexual orientation.

Today, Scouting America’s website states that it serves both boys and girls through single-gender dens in the Cub Scout program, permits older youth aiming for Eagle Scout rank to join single-gender troops, and provides some co-ed options.

The site asserts, “Scouting welcomes all eligible youth, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or orientation, who are willing to embrace Scouting’s values while meeting other membership criteria.”

Girl Scouts of the USA continues to operate as a distinct entity, only accepting girls and addressing transgender youth on an individual basis.

The organization’s guidelines state, “If the child is recognized by their family and school/community as a girl and lives culturally as a girl, then Girl Scouts can support her in an emotionally and physically safe environment.”

Notable Members

Over 130 million Americans have been involved in scouting programs. Here’s a glimpse at some well-known former members.

• Former Presidents Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush

• Renowned athletes such as Michael Jordan, Hank Aaron, Nolan Ryan, and Joe Theismann

• Celebrities including Harrison Ford, Jack Black, Jon Bon Jovi, Chris Pratt, Jay Leno, Steven Spielberg, and Jimmy Buffett

• Historical figures like civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and journalist Walter Cronkite

With contributions from: Greta Cross,