My wife was Troop Leader for my daughter’s troop from K through sixth grade. Then we moved, and my daughter was never as interested in GS as she was earlier.
The new Troop Leader was LDS, so I wasn’t too concerned about feminist issues, but because she was LDS, she never took the girls camping, and I think that’s what killed my daughter’s interest.
She stayed in long enough to get her Silver Award, but she quit before getting her Gold.
She grew up to be a liberal (cinema major), but I’m very proud of her.
I was a Daisy and Brownie leader for my second daughter, and I’ll be leading Brownies for my third daughter in the fall. For our oldest daughter (now a Senior Girl Scout) I’ve been treasurer, driver, taught crafts, helped at meetings, etc., and my husband has also been involved in teaching the girls outdoor skills.
If parents, particularly fathers, are involved with their daughter(s) - may I suggest homeschooling? - lesbians are really just not on the map. My oldest read a book where a character was revealed to be a lesbian, and said, “Yuck!” I pointed out that, given the character’s fictional experiences, it wasn’t at all surprising that she’d be a psychological disaster area, including same-sex attraction. “Good point!” says my oldest, and the subject is closed.
Realistically, the much greater threat to our girls’ moral and physical health and future success is relationships with boys. That’s where they’ll get chlamydia or AIDS or pregnant, as well as the lifelong emotional scars that contribute to the growing popularity of lesbian relationships. In my experience, Girl Scouts helps girls develop the skills, interests, and confidence to resist the premature sexual relations that start in *elementary school* these days. I want my daughters to be able to say, “I don’t need a boyfriend, because I have a LIFE!” until they’re mature enough to say, “I’m ready to share the rest of my life with a man of good character and mature religious commitment.” (Say, the senior patrol leader of my sons’ Boy Scout troop :-).
Last comment: Although I agree that the Boy Scouts organization has kept to conservative values and traditional morality better than the Girl Scouts, you still have to watch what’s happening at the Pack or Troop level. I got a call recently from a man wanting to move his son to my husband’s Pack (at our church) from a Pack based at the boy’s school. The father said that his main concern was that many of the Den leaders were single mothers, and they were bringing their boyfriends on camping trips and sharing tents with them. This is not only inconsistent with our Christian morality, but also a violation of BSA policy and a safety risk for the boys. Parents have to be *very* alert!
The Boy Scouts now have a program called "Venturing" which is co-ed in nature and focuses on "High Adventure" activities. Venture Scouts must be at least 14, and they can participate as youth members until 21.
As you would expect with BSA, there are strict rules for how the camping is conducted. I don't have a daughter, but I've always thought that if I did, I'd feel better about letting her go camping with Boy Scouts than I would if she went on a car date with a typical boy alone.