Thursday, January 12, 2012

To Be or Not to Be

I came across a video yesterday that really made me think.  The video has since become a private video, I'm assuming due to the backlash that came from it.  I'll give you the rundown.  A Girl Scout, probably in her mid to late teens, addressed her displeasure over some recent practices by the Girl Scouts USA organization.  The girl was upset over the recent admittance of transgendered people (I honestly am not sure what to call them) into the Girl Scouts.  She was concerned over boys dressed as girls being considered girls and being allowed in the club.  She gave some pretty good arguments as to why this should not happen, including the official by-laws of the Girl Scouts.  She asked those watching the video to boycott purchasing Girl Scout Cookies to send a message that transgendered people not be allowed into the organization.  I never really buy Girl Scout Cookies, so I really don't have a horse in this race.  And truth be told, Girl Scouts don't really frequent my neighborhood.  So, how do I feel about this whole thing?  I have always thought that Girl Scouts were inclusive, allowing anyone who wanted to be a part of the Girl Scouts the opportunity to do so.  However, my understanding of that is that you have to be girl.  I mean, it's in the name: Girl Scout.  Maybe I'm being a tad exclusive, but shouldn't that be the ultimate determinant to whether or not a person can be a Girl Scout?  I guess part of my opinion is based on the fact that I'm not totally understanding the difference between a transgendered person and a person who just wants to dress like the opposite gender.  I guess my main concern with this is that a boy can simply dress up like a girl, develop some sob story about always wanting to be a girl, and then infiltrate the Girl Scouts during things like sleepovers.  I know that's kind of extreme, but there are some really sick people who will do whatever they want to satisfy their vices.  I also get that transgendered people have a ton of things working against them.  They have crazy feelings they can't explain.  They have thoughts that I will not even try to understand because that would be an insult to them.  I don't know what parents of girls would think about a person who may or may not still be a boy joining something that they thought was just for girls. I guess my thought is, if a transgendered person is so confused about who they are and what they are about, selling cookies and getting merit badges should probably be the last thing on their mind.  They should be seeking counseling for the thoughts they're having.  They should be seeing someone about getting their minds completely understanding of who they are.  Not everyone is famous like Sonny and Cher's kid to be able to afford counseling, assistance, and surgery to deal with this issue.  Just don't bully them. I feel like that's the main issue that a person who has confusion like this would deal with.  It's not beyond the realm of possibility that young girls would completely shun a transgendered person once they found out that they actually don't have lady parts.  It's safe to say that they could be the victims of bullying, taunting, teasing, and maltreatment all because of who they are or are not.  And it's not too thoughtless to think that Girl Scouts could be included in that bullying scenario.  The fact that there are Girl Scouts who have opinions about this that don't seem to be simply, "ewww she's a boy, gross" makes me smile.  It means that the girl in the video is someone who put a lot of thought into her opinion.  I don't find her to be a bad person.  I applaud her for having the backbone to stand up for what she believes in and the ability to share it so intelligently.  Of course there is some backlash from some.  Some just think, "boo, she's a hater. she's intolerant."  I don't think she is, I think she just wants to preserve the mission of the organization she believes in so strongly.  Which means, that those cookie sales aren't in vain.

If you want to read the story yourself, click here.

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