Why the Reactionary Right Fears Girl Scouts (Ms. Magazine Blog)

"As a historian of girls and girlhood in America, I am never surprised by the bizarre and sexist lies that circulate around any group or movement devoted to elevating the status of girls and young women. Unlike the Camp Fire Girls and some areas of the the YWCA, who have since changed their focus from serving only girls, Girl Scouts remains a powerful organization devoted to highlighting and celebrating what girls can do in their communities and the world. Yet over the course of its 100 years, Girl Scouts have been charged with many of the crimes that feminists and activists have faced. There are crimes against gender (undermining femininity); crimes against patriotism (recklessly using khaki during wartime, hence the switch to green Girl Scouts uniforms); and crimes against the status quo (moving too fast on the issue of racial integration and not requiring girls to profess a belief in God when taking the Girl Scout Law)."