Condoms and Cookies
Evidently, the Girl Scouts of America have gone through some changes since I was a member. According to some sources (Google GSUSA and sex education or human sexuality) some Girl Scout councils are choosing to introduce programming on sex education and human sexuality.
In a 2004 Today Show interview, Kelly Cloninger, CEO of Girl Scouts of America, said, “[Girl Scouts] across the country tackle the issues of human sexuality and body image and all of the things that girls are facing. And we partner with many organizations. We have relationships with our church communities, with YWCAs, and with Planned Parenthood organizations across the country to bring information-based sex education programs to girls.”
Along these lines, I read an op-ed piece today in the Washington Times titled “The Girl Scout Sex Guide: Tasty Cookies May Carry a Moral Price” by Austin Ruse. You can read the full article on the Times website here.
The article reads:
Sharon Slater, a mother of seven, innocently walked into a panel sponsored by the Girl Scouts USA at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women a few weeks ago. Almost immediately she was asked to leave. All non-Scout adults were kicked out of the room, which was packed with adolescent girls.
Her curiosity piqued, Slater lingered by the door and when the panel ended she went immediately back inside to look around. What she found has shocked her and shocked Girl Scout moms around the country. Slater found a stack of brochures produced by Planned Parenthood called “Healthy, Happy and Hot” [read the brochure here] that among other things explained to the girls, “Some people have sex when they have been drinking or using drugs. That is your choice.”
But it gets worse. The sex guide explains, “Many people think sex is just about vaginal or anal intercourse. But there are lots of different ways to have sex and lots of different types of sex. Sex can include kissing, touching, licking, tickling, sucking and cuddling. Some people like to have aggressive sex, while others like to have soft sex and slow sex with their partners. There is no right or wrong way to have sex. Just have fun, explore and be yourself!” It tells girls to explore the prostate. Remember, this was distributed in a panel for adolescent girls.
It goes on to say:
While they have denied it was in their meeting, what the Girl Scout leadership has not done is distance themselves from the message of the brochure and from Planned Parenthood. But they would have a hard time doing that because they have a long time relationship with Planned Parenthood and have passed out brochures like this before.
At a Girl Scout conference in 2004, co-sponsored by Planned Parenthood, the Girl Scouts handed out a brochure to 700 grade-school girls with the title “It’s Perfectly Normal,” a guide that celebrated masturbation and that featured explicit drawings of couples having sex and a boy putting on a condom. It also listed, no surprise here, the top ten reasons for having an abortion.
Admittedly, I tend to lean center-left on most social issues. I think that some of the progressive changes that the Girl Scouts have made in recent years (things like changing the Home Economics badge to the Chef badge and encouraging young girls to explore strerotypically male sports and careers) are fantastic, so I’m not sure I’m ready to trade in my Tagalongs just yet. However, I think that the Girl Scouts may be pushing this one over my line (and my line is way farther left than most evangelicals).
What are your thoughts? Have they gone to far? Is it still ok to enjoy an occassional Thin Mint?
Thanks to @Creativereason for the link to the Times article and to my husband for the condom/merit badge PhotoShop action. Ah… just another Friday night at the Wick house.
I cannot tell a lie. I love my thin mints, but the Girls Scouts of America are no longer full of sweetness and innocence. While I am the first to nod my head at the need for moving forward with the times, I think that in spite of the fact that our children hear and learn about sexuality earlier than we did, they are still emotional and often intellectually unable to grasp many of these issues. Reading this brochure (which is geared for teens with HIV–something that should be discussed as an incongruous anomaly rather than a normal everyday life occurrence), I found it so sexually explicit that it actually took my breath away. I may weigh in left of center, but this is so far left that center is no longer visible. I think we should be shocked and appalled as parents that other adults would dare to give our girls this kind of information without our approval or even allowing parents to be present. For crying out loud, the FDA is considering requiring parental consent for tanning beds including a list of warnings about the dangers of it, and yet some say the girl scouts should be allowed to give this information to our daughters without our consent? I think not. No thank you to the Thin Mints, Girl Scouts; I can no longer buy what you are selling. I prefer a homegrown, organic, fair trade future for my daughter–one that is equitable and sustainable by “we the parents” and not Planned Parenthood.
Carla – It really is a trip isn’t it? Planned Parenthood typically doesn’t shock me… I’ve come to expect that they’ll do darn near anything. But, the Girl Scouts…. Makes me wonder what Juilette Lowe would say.
Hey – that wasn’t Photoshop. It was the GIMP, which is just as good and is free under GPL. Copyleft!
The thing that frosts me about this deal is the arrogant attitude – “we know better than you socially backward parents, so we’re going to kick you out and ‘educate’ your kid behind your back.” No, thank you. The thing I love about Boy Scouts is that parents are involved in everything. Our son is in Cub Scouts and parents are REQUIRED to be at the meetings. It’s not just a place to drop your kid off for an hour and come back. It helps build your relationship.
I also don’t think this is necessarily a “left” or “right” issue. It’s a “common sense” or “asinine” issue. Not the same thing. Plenty of people pretty far to the left would take serious exception to this.
OK, now I see that the brochure is all aimed at teens with HIV. Were all those kids in there HIV positive? Or what? Now I just don’t get it. I can see a place for this brochure – at a clinic. In the environment where it was, it really doesn’t make any sense.
This issue is frustrating! Quotes have been taken out of context. The Planned Parenthood material was not part of the Girl Scout session at the UN (and many groups used the meeting room – it was closed for Girl Scouts and Planned Parenthood was not there). And if a troop felt like sexuality was an important issue to explore, parental permission would be required.
Ingrid – I included a like to the entire brochure in question so people can read it for them selves and determine if context is the issue. I read it. The quotes are accurate.
Also, you are correct stating that many groups used that conference room on that day. The groups scheduled in the room were: The Girl Scouts, an NAACP panel on climate change, the UN for an orientation meeting, and a Dutch group discussing counterterrorism. I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that the other groups weren’t reading brochures written for teens about HIV/AIDS and sexuality.
Nicole, I have heard of the connection between GS and Planned Parenthood, but it is very confusing for parents. The organization and the leaders vehemently deny any connection, but I am always skeptical. It seems PP always infiltrates themselves into great organizations for girls and women in an attempt to portray themselves as a “women’s rights” organization. (ie: Susan G Komen) Their main source of income is abortion, so it should make sense that they would encourage sexual activity.
Where we live, our girl scout leader is a good friend of mine, and I know she would never tolerate anything like this, and does great things for the girls. I just think it’s important to express to your local leader that you think teaching sexuality is the parents’ job, and make sure they agree. The local troop has autonomy about what they teach, and how they do it. So if you have issues about supporting the national organization (which is definitely more left-leaning), consider donating straight to the local troop instead of buying cookies. The local troop only gets about $0.50 a box, I think.
At the same time, we need to push for transparency in funding, contributions, and teaching materials. It’s a parental rights issue for me!!
Sarah, I totally agree. My oldest was in scouts for years and her leader would have dies if something of this nature was discussed. Our youngest quit after a year, but that was only because she really wants to be a cub scout :)
I love my husband Jesse’s comments about our Boy Scouting experience with our son. It has a very different vibe.
The brochure is absolutely shocking. Even if you put the morality issues aside, I am deeply concerned about the comments like “People…sometimes fear that their partner will react violently.” This is a safety issue. If you are afraid that your partner might react violently in any situation, get the help of someone you trust and get out of the relationship NOW!
this is too much, especially seeing how that same pamphlet explained to the girls that it is not necessary to disclose your HIV status to your partners. unreal.