The Girl Scouts of Colorado have decided to accept a seven year-old boy who believes he's a girl, saying that their policy is to accept anyone who "identifies as a girl".
The New York Post is reporting that Felisha Archuleta, the mother of seven year-old Bobby Montoya, who has been dressing and acting like a girl since the age of two, attempted to enroll him in a Girl Scout troop in Denver. When she explained the situation to a troop leader over the phone, she was reassured that Bobby could join.
"Bobby identifies as a girl, and he's a boy," Felisha Archuleta told KUSA-TV. "He's been doing this since he was about 2 years old. He's loved girl stuff, so we just let him dress how he wants, as long as he's happy."
However, when they arrived at the meeting to sign him up, a different troop leader refused to do so. Known only as Mary, the leader told Archuleta. "It doesn't matter how he looks, he has boy parts, he can't be in Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts don't allow that I don't want to be in trouble by parents or my supervisor."
Archuleta was furious. "I really got upset because my grandson is himself. We've all accepted it," she said. "We've all accepted Bobby as he is, and for this lady to talk to him that way, it was just awful. This lady shouldn't be working with kids."
Apparently, Girl Scouts of Colorado agreed and reversed the troop leader's decision. They issued a statement to KUSA saying that Mary was simply unfamiliar with the group's policy.
"If a child identifies as a girl and the child's family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout," the statement said.
"In this case, an associate delivering our program was not aware of our approach. She contacted her supervisor, who immediately began working with the family to get the child involved and supported in Girl Scouts. We are accelerating our support systems and training so that we're better able to serve all girls, families and volunteers."
The organization claimed they have been getting requests for this kind of support for transgendered kids and that they are more than willing to help them and their families.
Even though Bobby is now permitted to join the Girl Scouts, his mother has decided not to do so because of the way he was treated.
Readers commenting on an article in the New York Daily News about the incident were mostly appalled by the story. "What a shame the family condones this behavior," said a reader named "Ishouldgetagrammy."
Auntie Lynn said: "I feel sorry for this little boy, he's going to have a tough life ahead of him."
"This child needs psychological help," said "Brooklynman#."
But Bobby is not the only one who will suffer in the days ahead. Imagine the kind of confusion this will cause all those little Girl Scouts when they learn on the next camping trip that they're bunking with a boy who all the adults are pretending is a girl. What kind of "support" policy is in place for these girls?
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Photo of Bobby Montoya by KUSA-TV/CNN
