Donald Trump is the opposite of every thing Boy Scouts should stand for.

By inviting Donald Trump to speak at the National Jamboree, Boy Scouts of America sent a clear message to girls across the nation—they do not stand against misogyny.

Kendall Brown
Jul 25, 2017 · 3 min read
President Trump waves after delivering remarks at the 2017 National Scout Jamboree in West Virginia on Monday. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

Growing up in my family, no matter what else was going on, there were always two nights a week that were sacred. On those nights, we’d proudly put on the khaki and green of our uniforms and spend the evening learning about what it meant to be a Scout.

Those nights were some of the best and most important nights of my childhood. It taught me self-reliance, and kindness, and respect for my community and the environment around me. And it didn’t just stop at weekly troop meetings for my family. We spent every summer going to Scout camp and thanks to selling cookies every year, I learned very early on that sales was not the career for me.

One of the proudest days of my life was when I earned the Girl Scout Silver Award, the second highest award available in the program. And the pride I felt a few years later watching my little brother officially become an Eagle Scout….well, I’ll never forget that feeling. Scouting taught us that we are important, that we are valuable, and most importantly, that we are equal.

That’s why I was so angry tonight as I watched Donald Trump spit in the face of more than 100 years of Scouting tradition with his horrific display of ego at the National Boy Scout Jamboree. The only part of the Boy Scout Law that he celebrated in his speech was loyalty—and it was clear that he meant loyalty to him not to our country.

“A Scout is: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.” — The Boy Scout Law

As a Girl Scout, I am horrified that the Boy Scouts of America invited a man who has admitted to committing sexual assault and belittled women with misogynistic language to speak to 40,000 boys at their national jamboree. By inviting him to speak, they have sent the message to a generation of Boy Scouts that treating and speaking to women in that way is acceptable. It’s not.

The message that they sent to Girl Scouts with the invitation is even worse. During his speech, Donald led those 40,000 boys in booing Hillary Clinton—the first woman to be the nominee of a major national party and the woman who has won more votes than any white man in history. Regardless of how you feel about her, Hillary is a role model and symbol for millions of little girls nationwide. Tonight, Donald Trump and the Boy Scouts of America sent a clear message to those little girls and grown up girls across the nation—you do not support us, you do not think we’re valuable, and you do not think we are deserving of respect.

“I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.”

— the Girl Scout Law

In Scouting, they teach you to hold some values dear. The Boy Scout Law is built of those values, and it’s a list every Scout can recite. Tonight, the Boy Scouts of America need to read this list again and ask themselves—does Donald Trump exhibit a single one of these values? Will he teach these values to this new generation of boys?

The answer, as we all know, is that he does not. And he will not.

Finally, to the Girl Scouts that were watching tonight—no matter what the male counterpart to our group does, no matter what the President of the United States says about girls and women like you—always remember the words of the woman that came so close to cracking that glass ceiling once and for all:

“And to all of the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.” —Hillary Clinton

Kendall Brown

Written by

Digital strategist fighting for civil rights @MuslimAdvocates. Occasionally things I write get stolen by teens to post on tumblr. Email: kendallybrown@gmail.com

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