Cincinnati Archbishop Expels Girl Scouts Over LGBTQ+ Inclusion

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has ended more than a century of partnership with Girl Scouts USA because of the organization’s inclusive views on gender and sexuality.

Archbishop Dennis Schnurr announced the partnership’s end in October on the archdiocesan website, claiming that Girl Scouts USA has “embraced and promoted” an “impoverished worldview regarding gender and sexuality.” Archdiocesan pastors have been instructed to phase out their parishes’ partnerships with Girl Scouts USA and Girl Scouts of Western Ohio by December 2025, with the instruction that “every Girl Scout troop operating on any Catholic campus” within the Archdiocese of Cincinnati must “convert to an American Heritage Girls troop” (an explicitly Christian alternative to Girls Scouts), “find another location at which to meet,” or “disband” altogether, according to the National Catholic Reporter.

Girl Scouts USA, self-described as “a secular organization that welcomes girls of all faiths” and which recognizes the existence of and creates space for LGBTQ+ girls and their families, is described by Schnurr as “[advocating] ideas which the Church considers false and harmful.”

The Girl Scouts and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati have been engaged in “mutually respectful discussions and communication” for several years regarding the archdiocese’s concerns. In 2012, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) advised dioceses to reach agreements with their local Girl Scout chapters regarding what was and was not acceptable for Catholic Girl Scouts groups after an investigation by the conference identified concerns over the Girl Scouts’ alleged ties to the World Association of Girl Guides and Scouts and International Planned Parenthood. The Cincinnati archdiocese and Girl Scouts of Western Ohio reached such a memorandum of understanding in 2016.

Upon its expiration in 2021, the archdiocese reexamined Girl Scouts materials and expressed “concerns previously not identified about a growing advocacy, both at the national and local levels, for sexual and gender ideologies contrary to the Catholic understanding of the human person and moral teaching of the Church.” The archdiocese proposed a new memorandum in 2023, requesting that the Girl Scouts “cease promotion of activities, resources, badges and awards repugnant to Catholic teaching.” A counter-memorandum proposed by the Girls Scouts was deemed insufficient, and the archdiocese deemed an end to the partnership with the organization.

Among the activities and resources deemed “repugnant” by the archdiocese are the “Diverse. Inclusive. Together.” merit patch, which features a “social identity wheel” activity prompting discussion of different identities including heterosexual, gay, transgender, and intersex. Additionally, the “LGBTQ+ Pride Month Fun” patch, which includes optional activities such as creating art depicting diverse families, attending a Pride celebration, or reading materials from the GLSEN resource list on LGBTQ+ history, was also objectionable. The Girl Scouts organization has also faced backlash for its acceptance of transgender youth.

Regarding the inclusion of transgender youth, the Girl Scouts’ website states:

“The placement of transgender youth is handled on a case-by-case basis, with the welfare and best interests of the child and the members of the troop/group in question a top priority…That said, if the child is recognized by the family and school/community as a girl and lives culturally as a girl, then Girl Scouts is an organization that can serve her in a setting that is both emotionally and physically safe.”

In a statement shared with Crux, the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio said they are “deeply disappointed” by the decision:

“We remain open to a mutually respectful dialogue, and we hope that the Archdiocese will return to the conversation so we can continue to work together to support the beneficial role each plays in developing youth and supporting families in our communities.”

This is not the first time a bishop has cautioned against associating with the Girl Scouts. In 2016, Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis, Missouri, issued a warning against the organization’s support of LGBTQ+ inclusion. Other dioceses have similarly criticized other scouting organizations for their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Despite these efforts at exclusion and denial, LGBTQ+ youth, their families, and their allies will continue to exist, though, sadly, the Catholic Church will be further from their lives. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati, should they ever choose to return to their partnership, is fortunate to have the Girl Scouts as an example of an organization which recognizes the God-given dignity of each individual, commits itself to the wellbeing of each young person, and remains committed to the mission of inclusion which they proclaim.

—Phoebe Carstens (they/them), New Ways Ministry, November 22, 2024