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Kristie Maldonado and her son, Joe -- who gained national attention when he was barred from his local Cub Scouts pack because he is transgender -- plan to file a discrimination complaint against the regional chapter of the Boy Scouts of America. The complaint claims that the Boy Scouts of America's Northern New Jersey Council, which oversees a number of local scouting troops, violated the state "public accommodation" law by kicking the Secaucus boy out of the local Pack 87 in November, a month after he joined. The complaint, which was obtained by The Jersey Journal yesterday, is expected to...

The Boy Scouts of America says it will allow transgender children who identify as boys to enroll in its boys only programs. The organization announced Monday that it had made the decision to base enrollment in boys only programs on the gender a child or parent lists on the application to become a scout. The organization had previously held a policy that relied on the gender listed on a child's birth certificate. A spokeswoman for the organization says it made the decision based on states and communities changing how gender is defined. A transgender child in Secaucus, New Jersey, was...

The Boy Scouts of America said on Monday the group would begin accepting transgender boys, bucking its more than a century-old practice of using the gender stated on a birth certificate to determine eligibility. "Starting today, we will accept and register youth in the Cub and Boy Scout programs based on the gender identity indicated on the application," Boy Scouts of America communications director Effie Delimarkos said in an emailed statement. Delimarkos' cited shifting definitions of gender under state laws, which can "vary widely from state to state," in explaining the change.

From the moment he joined, 8-year-old Joe Maldonado eagerly looked forward to camping trips and science projects as a member of the Cub Scouts. But his expectations were dashed after his mother said she received a phone call from a scouting official who told her that Joe would no longer be allowed to participate because he was born a girl. Kristie Maldonado said she was stunned because her son had been a member of Cub Scout Pack 87 in Secaucus for about a month, and his transgender status had not been a secret. But some parents complained, an official from...

When I was a boy I swore an oath, one I take seriously to this day. It went like this: On my honor, I will do my best To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight. Inherent in this oath are not one, but two moral issues – my duty to God and my oath of remaining morally straight. These are inextricably linked, and both preclude sexual immorality, among other things. My duty to God is...

Under the radar, near a campfire, a counter-cultural force is rising. Only three years old, Trail Life USA, the Christian answer to the politically correct Boy Scouts of America, is operating 700 troops in 48 states, with nearly 30,000 troop members. It’s still small compared to the BSA, which began in 1910 and claims more than two million members. But Trail Life could be on the verge of far more growth as the culture descends into madness and parents seek a haven for their impressionable sons.

ALTUS, Okla. – A man who is a district chairman of a Boy Scouts troop in Oklahoma was arrested this week after he was allegedly caught with child pornography. Steven Foreman, 52, was arrested in Altus after investigators intercepted child pornography coming from a personal computer at Foreman’s home, officials say. Authorities reportedly found several images of child pornography on Foreman’s computers and hard drives. According to KSWO, Foreman is a retired United States Air Force member and is currently employed in a civilian position at the 97th Security Forces Squadron at Altus Air Force Base. He also holds the...

Boy Scouts participation off limits to judges, says California Supreme Court By Kellan Howell - The Washington Times - Saturday, January 24, 2015 The Supreme Court of California announced Friday that California judges will no longer be permitted to participate in nonprofit youth groups like the Boy Scouts of America due to the groups position on gay rights issues. But justices have lifted a ban on judges belonging to a military organization now that LGBT people can serve openly in the U.S. Armed Services, The Bay Area Reporter reported Thursday. The court found fault with the scouting group, which does...

Robert Gates became the Boy Scouts of America’s president facing deep divisions within the organization’s membership over whether to let gays serve openly in its ranks. On Thursday, Gates finished his two-year term by arguing the Scouts had overcome that challenge and were ready to reverse years of membership declines. In a speech to Scouting leaders, the former U.S. secretary of defense defended the compromise last year to allow openly gay adult leaders to serve in the Scouts, but give churches sponsoring troops the right to use sexual orientation as a guideline for selecting leaders. …

An Assistant Boy Scout Leader in Charleston, WV was arrested for 3 counts of soliciting a minor via computer. The Kanawha County Sheriff's Department received a complaint on May 24th, 2016 from the Buckskin Council for the Boy Scouts about Kevin Michael Rogier. The Sheriff's Department learned upon investigation that Rogier was using social media site to contact three minor to solicit, entice, seduce, lure, try and revive picture and videos of sexually explicit conduct, and send pictures and videos of sexually explicit content. Rogier admitted to the Sheriff's Department that he sent sexual photographs and requested sexual photographs from...

A former Boy Scouts of America scoutmaster and Strongsville school teacher pleaded guilty this month to having sex with an adolescent boy in 1994. Oren Youngstein, 64, had sexual contact with the boy when the victim was either 14 or 15 years old, according to court records. The accusations were first reported to authorities in February last year, according to the Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts, the same month Youngstein left his post with the Boy Scouts

A Boy Scout leader from Boonton suffered bites and scratches after being attacked by a bear while hiking at Splitrock Reservoir Sunday afternoon with three young scouts, authorities said. Christopher Petronino, 50, managed to fend off the black bear using a rock hammer after the animal pulled him into a small cave. Petronino and the scouts were later able to draw the bear out of the cave with food, Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Bob Considine said in a statement. The group had set out to hike on the trails that cover the 625-acre wilderness, and they came along the...

A Boy Scout troop leader was mauled by a bear after he and three Scouts stumbled upon the animal in northern New Jersey on Sunday, the Rockaway Township Police Department said. The three Scouts accompanying him were unharmed, officials said. The Boy Scout leader, Christopher Petronino, took the three Scouts to a cave at Split Rock Reservoir in Morris County, which is about 25 miles west of New York City. The 50-year-old had known about the cave since the 1980s but had never witnessed a bear using it before, according to CNN affiliate WCBS. When Petronino entered the cave Sunday...

They call their group "The Unicorns." The six young girls teach themselves things they didn't learn in the Girl Scouts, like building a campfire. "I got jealous of what my brother got to do because he's a Boy Scout ...," said 10-year-old Ella Jacobs. Jacobs and her friend, Allie Westover, decided they were more interested in what the boys were doing. So last fall, they started participating in activities alongside a local Boy Scout troop. "I really like competitions and I really enjoy competitive nature and also working in teams and so being in Boy Scouts gave me the opportunity...

Four months after the Boy Scouts of America made history by allowing gay adults to become leaders, its local chapter in Northern California is facing new pressure from girls, asking to become full members. They call their group "The Unicorns." The six young girls teach themselves things they didn't learn in the Girl Scouts, like building a campfire. "I got jealous of what my brother got to do because he's a Boy Scout ...," said 10-year-old Ella Jacobs. Jacobs and her friend, Allie Westover, decided they were more interested in what the boys were doing. So last fall, they started...

An ex-Boy Scout leader has been sentenced to prison for possessing child pornography. Gerrett Conover, 50, of Gloucester County has received a sentence of 20 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for the online distribution of pornographic material involving minors. Following a fivemonth investigation, Conover was arrested in September 2012 after he was stopped attempting to enter the United States from Canada. He was found to be in possession of a computer containing more than 50 images of child pornography, most of which graphically depicted sexual acts involving young boys.

BOYSTOWN — Two months after the Boy Scouts of America lifted the ban on openly gay parents and adult leaders, the Center on Halsted is poised to become the first LGBTQ community center to partner with the organization. The center, 3656 N. Halsted St., is now looking for Scout leaders and mentors for a Boy Scout pack for first- through fifth-grade students. A Girl Scout troop has been stationed at the center for three years. As the chartered organization, Center on Halsted will facilitate programming and leadership. New scouts will likely be a mix of people "drawn here because of...

A 13-year-old put his Boy Scout training to the test and helped rescue his father after he was hit by a refrigerator-sized boulder during a backpacking trip in Idaho last Monday. A week into what was supposed to be a 12-day trip at Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, a large boulder fell on David Finlayson, 52, knocking him down 20 or 30 feet, NBC affiliate KTVB reported. The elder Finlayson broke his left arm and leg. He also started to lose blood because of gash in his shin. “At first I was freaking out a little bit, but after...

SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following statement Wednesday from the Council of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles regarding the Church’s relationship with the Boy Scouts of America: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints appreciates the positive contributions Scouting has made over the years to thousands of its young men and boys and to thousands of other youth. As leaders of the Church, we want the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to succeed in its historic mission to instill leadership skills and high moral standards in...

The Mormon church will continue to support the Boy Scouts of America despite the group’s decision to allow gay troop leaders, say church leaders. After a month of deliberation, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – which is the nation’s largest sponsor of Boy Scout units and continues to restrict gay and lesbian members from participating fully in church activities and leadership – said in a statement Wednesday that it would maintain its 102-year-old association with Scouting following the BSA’s controversial July decision to let gay men lead Scout units. The announcement, which comes after the BSA assured...