Boy Scouts and Transgender Kids: N.J. Allegations Spawn Debate

SECAUCUS, NJ — A New Jersey mother’s allegations that the Boy Scouts kicked her eight-year-old transgender child out of his Cub Scout pack have ignited an internet firestorm, with some praising the family’s bravery in the face of bigotry and others characterizing them as “mentally ill.”

According to New Jersey mother Kristie Maldonado, her 8-year-old son, Joe – who was born a girl but identifies as a male – has been asked to leave his local Cub Scout troop because of his sexual identity.

Maldonado said that her child joined Pack 87 in Secaucus in October, but about a month later - after allegedly receiving complaints from other scouts’ parents - a Boy Scout official told her that Joe would no longer be welcome in the group due to his gender identity, NorthJersey.com reported.

The parents’ complaints were surprising because her son has been living as a male for more than a year and is accepted as a boy at school, Maldonado said.

• See related article: N.J. Mom Says Boy Scouts Kicked Out Her Transgender Son

Justin Wilson, the executive director of Scouts for Equality, said that the Boy Scouts of America are not known to have rejected any scouts because of their gender identity before the Maldonados’ accusations.

‘TREMENDOUS COURAGE’

On Wednesday, Garden State Equality, one of the state’s largest LGBTQ advocacy groups, called the Maldonados’ courage “tremendous.”

“We first met Joe in the summer of 2015, when his mom Kristie, a fierce advocate for her son, reached out to Garden State Equality for help in supporting Joe’s transition at school,” the nonprofit stated. “We worked with his elementary school to ensure that Joe was able to attend school as a boy and provided policy consultation to administrators and professional development training for teachers and staff on working with transgender youth.”

That’s why it was “devastating” for GSE staff to learn about the Maldonados’ accusations, the nonprofit stated.

“Joe is a confident young person and he has shown tremendous courage… Garden State Equality believes that the Boy Scouts of America’s policy on accepting gay youth should extend to transgender youth. We also believe that the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, which protects New Jerseyans from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression should extend to this case.”

An online petition in support of the Maldonados can be seen here. As of Thursday, it has garnered 1,244 signatures.

Several parents and LGBTQ activists gave comments of support for Joe and his mother.

• “My eight-year-old son wants to be a Cub Scout and I had to tell him no, not until they accept everyone. He's sad but inclusivity is a lesson that will stick with him.”
• “God bless his family for being open and supportive. And shame on the Boy Scouts. I stand by the young man and his family.”

‘CRUEL AND EXPLOITATIVE’

A Boy Scouts spokesperson declined to comment on whether the organization has an official written transgender policy but stated that the group’s Cub Scouts programs are for boys age 7 to 10 and that "the classification on the participant’s birth certificate” would be used to “confirm legal status.”

Boy Scouts representative Effie Delimarkos later commented to NBC Philadelphia about the allegations, stating that “… their child does not meet the eligibility requirement to participate in this program, so Boy Scouts of America leadership reached out to the family to inform them and share information on alternative programs.”

Earlier this year, the Boy Scouts told the Associated Press that they would admit transgender children to their coeducational programs but not to programs that are for boys only, such as the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.

Several supporters of the Boy Scouts’ decision wrote letters to Patch or commented on our original article, criticizing the Maldonados.

Sharon Kass, an “ex-gay rights” activist that one LGTBQ journalist called “an infamous, prolifically anti-gay hate mail writer,” sent Patch the following email:

“Jodi is a mentally ill girl… It is cruel and exploitative to support a delusion, whether of a child or of an adult. The ‘sexual minorities’ movement is sick. The Left uses people for what it can get… Jodi and her family should get depth psychotherapy and family counseling immediately… The Boy Scouts of America should continue to bar people with gender identity disorder from membership. Standards must be upheld.”

Another reader, “Gia” from Wayne, New Jersey, opined that “there is more than one victim in all this,” and that the only way people can solve this disagreement is to consider both sides of the debate.

“The parents of eight-year-old boys cannot simply be expected to accept something because its ‘against the law’ to discriminate… Why are the majority expected to alter their daily lives and belief systems to accept the lifestyle choice and belief system of one?... I'm sorry for this young girl’s struggle, however, who are the real victims?”

File Photo: Flickr Commons, Steven Depolo

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