The following image made the rounds on the internet and garnished my support and the support of others that promote transgender issues as well as Planned Parenthood. What follows is my letter to the Girl Scouts informing them I ordered double my cookie amount because of this image. A rep from the Girl Scouts responded, so you can see what the official standing of Girl Scouts is on Planned Parenthood. Not really a stance, so much as legal jargon to save their butt. Disappointing, but at least they support transgender children.
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| The image in question that made the rounds on the internet. I think it was supposed to be a conservative scare tactic, but it had the opposite effect on all the liberals ;) |
Greetings,
... I'm sure you are aware that some conservative people may be boycotting Girl Scouts because of the ties to Planned Parenthood and allowing transgender children to be a part of Girl Scouting.
This jpeg had found its way into my facebook news feed. http://28.media.tumblr.com/ tumblr_lxtj8l6XwY1qdm9vwo1_ 500.jpg
I wanted to let you know that I purchased DOUBLE my order BECAUSE of these issues AND have shared this information with my friends. It's very important to me that young women are well-informed AND that those with different gender identity are welcomed into a supportive environment. I sincerely hope the information in the jpeg is actually true as it makes me feel proud to support the Girl Scouts.
I also hope that you will continue on the path of providing girls, whatever their orientation, a supportive environment that provides them with the information they need to make good life choices.
Thank you!
-D
THEIR RESPONSE:
Thank you for your message to Girl Scouts of the USA. We appreciate
your interest and kind words. Girl Scouts is proud to be the premier
leadership organization for girls in the country. Placement of
transgender youth is handled on a case-by-case basis, with the welfare
and best interests of the child and the members of the troop/group in
question a top priority. That said, if the child is recognized by the
family and school/community as a girl and lives culturally as a girl,
then Girl Scouts is an organization that can serve her in a setting that
is both emotionally and physically safe.
Further, the Girl Scout organization, including local Councils, does not
take a position on abortion or birth control, nor do we endorse or
provide funding to organizations such that advocate on these issues.
GSUSA does not provide any financial support to Planned Parenthood, nor
do we have any national collaboration or relationship with that
organization. We believe issues related to health and sexuality are
private matters for girls and their families.
We are aware of several websites, some by current and former Girl Scouts
and volunteers, that take issue with the Girl Scout organization on a
number of topics. We applaud these individuals for pursuing the
principles we teach in Girl Scouting regarding identifying an issue that
they feel passionate about and working to address it. At the same time,
we also disagree with many of the points made on these sites, some of
which we feel are inaccurate. Our positions on many of these issues
haven't changed, and we believe these websites do not accurately reflect
Girl Scouting.
For the sake of clarity, once again, Girl Scouts does not take a
position on abortion or birth control, does not have a relationship with
Planned Parenthood on a national level and does not plan to have one.
Because Girl Scouting is a beloved American institution, our name has
the power to draw attention to topics that might otherwise go unnoticed.
As a leadership organization, we must always respect the right of others
to express their views and we will continue to support girls who care
deeply about an issue and have the courage to stand up and take action,
even if we do not agree with what they say.
Thanks again for support of Girl Scouts.
So there you have it. The image from scared conservatives and an official response from Girl Scouts. :)
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