Why the Boy Scouts Are Rebranding

Jun 19, 2024

After more than a century of existence, some of it fraught by serious controversy, the Boy Scouts of America announced in May 2024 it would rename itself to 鈥溾€� in order to be more inclusive. The organization faced criticism for years for a on gay and bisexual scouts and leaders. Although it ended that ban in 2014 and 2015, the damage to its reputation was done.听

Further, rampant sexual abuse of children was found in the organization, with until the organization faced a legal challenges and a . The Scouts also had a history of .听

In light of the aggressive right-wing attacks on the LGBTQ community, the Boy Scouts鈥� rebranding effort seems courageous. But according to Mike De Socio, author of the new book , it鈥檚 more complicated than that.听

De Socio is an award-winning independent journalist, raised in New Jersey, where he became an Eagle Scout. He spoke with 精东影业 Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on 精东影业 Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about the Scouts鈥� new chapter.

Sonali Kolhatkar joined 精东影业 in summer 2021, building on a long and decorated career in broadcast and print journalism. She is an award-winning multimedia journalist, and host and creator of聽精东影业 Presents: Rising Up with Sonali, a nationally syndicated television and radio program airing on Free Speech TV and dozens of independent and community radio stations. She is also Senior Correspondent with the Independent Media Institute鈥檚 Economy for All project where she writes a weekly column. She is the author of聽Rising Up: The Power of Narrative in Pursuing Racial Justice聽(2023) and聽Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence聽(2005). Her forthcoming book is called聽Talking About Abolition聽(Seven Stories Press, 2025). Sonali is co-director of the nonprofit group, Afghan Women鈥檚 Mission which she helped to co-found in 2000. She has a Master鈥檚 in Astronomy from the University of Hawai鈥檌, and two undergraduate degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin. Sonali reflects on 鈥淢y Journey From Astrophysicist to Radio Host鈥� in her 2014聽聽of the same name.