Boy Scouts opens programs to transgender girls

The Boy Scouts of America announced tonight it will allow girls who identify as boys to participate in its boys-only programs. The decision came 18 months after the organization decided to allow homosexual men to serve as scout leaders and three years after opening programs to homosexual youth. Before tonight’s policy change, the Scouts required parents to show birth certificates to prove their child’s gender. Now, the Scouts will accept whatever gender parents list on their child’s application form. “For more than 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America, along with schools, youth sport,s and other youth organizations, have ultimately deferred to the information on an individual’s birth certificate to determine eligibility for our single-gender programs,” the statement said. “However, that approach is no longer sufficient as communities and state laws are interpreting gender identity differently, and these laws vary widely from state to state.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.