{"id":4639,"date":"2026-07-31T17:42:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T17:42:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4639"},"modified":"2026-07-31T17:42:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T17:42:51","slug":"scouting-america-cuts-lgbtq-spaces-at-jamboree-under-pentagon-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4639","title":{"rendered":"Scouting America cuts LGBTQ+ spaces at jamboree under Pentagon pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>The changes at the National Jamboree, which ends Friday, reflect shifts made by Scouting America since the organization became a\u00a0target of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth\u00a0over what he calls \u201cwoke\u201d policies. Some scouts who had planned to attend the event in West Virginia said they backed out because Scouting America scrapped the inclusion initiatives it previously celebrated.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4637\">The Black Panther\u2019s tragic coda: Chadwick Boseman\u2019s brothers want his widow removed from his estate \u2014 and held in contempt<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Hegseth threatened to end the Pentagon\u2019s century-old partnership with Scouting America if it did not make changes including refocusing away from\u00a0diversity initiatives.\u00a0The organization, previously known as Boy Scouts of America, rebranded in 2024 to emphasize inclusion and the growing number of\u00a0girls in the scouting ranks.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cScouting fundamentally is a safe place for young people to have fun,\u201d said Samuel J. Aronson, an assistant scoutmaster who has organized inclusive events at previous national events. \u201cIn the absence of these spaces, we\u2019re denying all that, both the safety and the fun, to thousands of young people.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Thousands attend the National Jamboree<\/h4>\n<p>This year, about 15,000 scouts, leaders and volunteers from across the country are attending the 10-day event in the mountains of West Virginia. In addition to activities including mountain biking and kayaking, the gathering hosts leadership programs and educational sessions.<\/p>\n<p>A Scouting America spokesperson said the organization remains \u201cfully committed to welcoming and serving all youth,\u201d but did not address questions about the changes to the jamboree.<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon made a deal with Scouting America in February but the two sides have given conflicting accounts of that agreement. This month, a gay rights activist obtained the memo outlining the agreement from the Defense Department after\u00a0filing a lawsuit,\u00a0arguing that clarity was of public importance.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The six-page document spells out ways the Pentagon will monitor compliance, including that officials from each organization would have \u201cperiodic touchpoints and meet\u201d as needed. It was obtained by James Dale, who was\u00a0expelled from the Boy Scouts\u00a0in the early 1990s for being gay and later sued over discrimination. He equated the Pentagon\u2019s tactics to the actions of a bully.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey basically have their thumb on the organization, threatening them under constant pressure,\u201d Dale said.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h4>Deal preserves ties between Scouting America and Pentagon<\/h4>\n<p>The scouts and the military have long held close ties; The military provides logistical support for the jamboree and some scout troops meet on or near bases.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4633\">The World Cup\u2019s VAR fights are a preview of every company\u2019s AI rollout problem<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Asked about the implementation and monitoring of the deal, a Pentagon spokesperson referred to previous comments by Hegseth.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In February, Hegseth posted a video that said his department would \u201cvigorously review\u201d changes made by Scouting America and would cease the military\u2019s longtime support of the organization if it failed to comply by late August.<\/p>\n<h4>Some scouts disappointed by changes to inclusion efforts<\/h4>\n<p>John Andrew Segebarth, a 21-year-old college student and Eagle Scout, has been disheartened by the agreement. He joined the scout ranks in first grade and said he had been looking forward to staffing the space for LGBTQ+ and Allied Scouts at this year\u2019s jamboree.<\/p>\n<p>Segebarth, who is gay and was elected by peers as a national officer for scouts in 2024, said the removal of inclusive spaces is a sharp reversal for Scouting America. National scouting events in recent years included community spaces for girls, scouts of color, LGBTQ+ scouts and persons with disabilities, according to Aronson.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cScouting\u2019s kind of walking back on its values that they told me they believed in,\u201d said Segebarth who, along with Aronson, decided not to attend the jamboree this year.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It was at a community tent that Layla Grace found the first place where she could talk openly about being a transgender female. Now a 21-year-old assistant scoutmaster, Grace had also planned to staff the space for LGBTQ+ and Allied Scouts in West Virginia this year.<\/p>\n<p>When the spaces were canceled, Grace said she almost didn\u2019t go to the jamboree but decided she wanted to be there to help those in need. She wound up volunteering at an area dedicated to addressing issues that include mental health, food security and education.<\/p>\n<p>And she\u2019s trying to fill the gap left by the removal of inclusive areas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am wearing so many rainbows on me, my right hand has my nails painted in the lesbian flag and my left hand has my nails painted in the transgender flag,\u201d she said. \u201cI am being as loud as I can to do my best to hopefully make up for the lack of community spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/crosscountrymovingteams.com\/?p=4627\">Kevin Warsh\u2019s first big press conference shines a spotlight on confusion over how the Fed actually measures inflation<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>___<\/p>\n<p>Associated Press reporter Ben Finley contributed to this report from Washington.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to end military ties unless Scouting America dropped diversity initiatives by late August.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[517],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dei"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - 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