Free Republic

The Boy Scouts of America said Tuesday that the national organization has filed for bankruptcy protection in a bid to ensure equitable compensation for thousands of sexual abuse victims who were harmed while participating in their programs and ensure they can continue to carry out their mission for years to come.The BSA also noted as a part of the Chapter 11 process, it has created a Victims Compensation Trust that would provide equitable compensation to victims.“The BSA cares deeply about all victims of abuse and sincerely apologizes to anyone who was harmed during their time in Scouting. We are outraged...

The Girl Scouts of the United States of America filed a lawsuit on Tuesday seeking to stop the Boy Scouts of America from rebranding its Boy Scouts program and referring to members simply as "Scouts." Bloomberg reported that the Girl Scouts alleged in a trademark lawsuit that the Boy Scouts of America will "marginalize" the female organization and "erode its core brand identity" by adopting the "scouts" moniker. The Boy Scouts of America announced last year it would allow girls to join the organization and in May, revealed its plans to rebrand the Boy Scouts program as "Scouts BSA." In...

A 17-year-old Maryland boy has become one of the first openly gay Boy Scouts to achieve the Boy Scouts of America's highest rank since the organization reversed its ban on gay youth nearly six weeks ago. Pascal Tessier, who publicly voiced his opposition to the ban on gay members, started with the group a decade ago as a Cub Scout and earned 21 merit badges before being named an Eagle Scout on Monday, said his father, Oliver Tessier, a consultant in Chevy Chase, Maryland.