As one of America’s largest youth-serving organizations, the Boy Scouts of America works to bring the benefits of our programs to as many children, families and communities as possible. 

While we offer a number of programs that serve all youth, Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting are specifically designed to meet the needs of boys. For more than 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America, along with schools, youth sports and other youth organizations, relied on biological sex – such as on an individual’s birth certificate – to determine eligibility for our single-gender programs. However, that approach is no longer sufficient as communities and state laws are interpreting gender identity differently, and these laws vary from state to state.

As a result, the Boy Scouts of America accepts and registers boys in the Cub and Boy Scout programs based on the gender identity indicated on the application.

The Boy Scouts of America is committed to identifying program options that will help us truly serve the whole family, and this is an area that we will continue to thoughtfully evaluate to bring the benefits of Scouting to the greatest number of youth possible – all while remaining true to our core values, outlined in the Scout Oath and Law.

For more information, please contact PR@scouting.org.