(Headline USA) America’s most iconic youth organizations—the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of the USA—have seen unprecedented one-year drops in membership after numerous child sex scandals and outspoken support for woke ideology, including the LGBT agenda.
While both organizations insist they’ll survive, the dramatic declines raise questions about how effectively they’ll be able to carry out their time-honored missions—teaching skills and teamwork, providing outdoor adventure and encouraging community service.
Membership for the BSA’s flagship Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA programs dropped from 1.97 million in 2019 to 1.12 million in 2020, a 43% plunge, according to figures provided to the Associated Press. Court records show membership has fallen farther since then, to about 762,000.
The Girl Scouts say their youth membership fell by nearly 30%, from about 1.4 million in 2019-2020 to just over 1 million this year.
Both groups, like several other U.S. youth organizations, have experienced declining membership for many years.
The Girl Scouts reported youth membership of about 2.8 million in 2003. The BSA had more than 4 million boys participating in the 1970s.
Reasons for the drop include competition from sports leagues, busy family schedules and the spread of useless virtual activities.
Most importantly, however, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts’ have lost members because they have chosen to indoctrinate children with far-left sexual theories and put children at risk of sexual abuse.
Both the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts accept transgender children. Opening the door to further potential for sexual abuse, both organizations now allow troop leaders who openly identify as LGBT.
The Boy Scouts decided to seek bankruptcy protection in February 2020 to cope with lawsuits filed by 1,400 men who allege they were molested as children by scout leaders prior to the policy changes.
This is the largest bankruptcy case that has arisen from child abuse claims in American history, Market Watch reported.
There are more than 84,000 pending sexual abuse claims, the New York Post reported.
The case is proceeding slowly in federal bankruptcy court as lawyers negotiate creation of a trust fund for victims that will likely entail hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions from the BSA and its 252 local councils.
Numerous law firms represent the victims. The law firms are negotiating with the Boy Scouts about the total monetary compensation, which will be subject to final approval by the victims and the bankruptcy court.
To provide those funds, some councils may have to sell cherished camp properties, Roger Mosby, the BSA’s president and CEO, told the AP.
A disclosure statement in the bankruptcy case says BSA’s gross revenues dropped from $394 million in 2019 to $187 million last year.
In response, the Boy Scouts’ annual youth membership fee will rise from $66 to $72 on August 1. The BSA also says some councils may merge to consolidate resources.
The Boy Scouts said it hopes to reach a settlement with sexual abuse victims this summer.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, with help from the Michigan State Police, launched her own investigation into the Boy Scouts after thousands of sexual-abuse claims emerged.
About 1,700 sexual abuse claims originated in Michigan.
The investigation has now revealed that up to 3,000 boys may have been abused, WZZM13 reported.
Nessel called on potential victims to come forward with details about alleged abuse.
“I know speaking about these traumas is difficult,” Nessel said. “That’s why I’m asking Michiganders to show their strength and courage by calling our trained victim advocates. It doesn’t matter if the abuse occurred last month or years ago—you deserve to be heard and we’re here to listen.”
