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I have four units in a town outside Seattle. Unimagineably liberal. Incredibly liberal. In fact, INCLUDING SF, I live in the most liberal region of the United States.

The parents I get are conservative refugees, for lack of a better word.

I suspect Austin, and areas like that may have units suffer from some liberalism seeping through, but the parents I get are running away from all of this new age BS.

I once nearly had a lesbian couple put their boy into a Pack around 2009. You could see the conflict, and I’ll never forget it - they knew the boy needed a fatherly influence in their lives. Their politics, however, trumped the best interests of the boy.

Happily for me, and sadly for the boy, the family never joined. I haven’t seen a homosexual parent or child since. It’s just not a problem.

Where there are gay kids/parents joining units, its activism. It’s so tough to keep a Troop going in the first place that it doesn’t take long for the unit to fold, and thus, problem solved. Back to school night happens, a new Troop forms, and no activism problems.

I’ll tell you what I tell national - the whole thing runs on program for boys, and they are your demographic. Oddly, it means you don’t have to cater to the girls, because they want EXACTLY the same thing, if not more.

If adding girls means ENTIRE FAMILIES get involved in the Scouting movement, then perfect. I’ve always had unofficial female dens in my Packs. Had a few females participate in Troop events, but never put them in uniform like I did with the girls in Cubs.

I have two 14 year old units, and both are coed, and it works extremely well. Mine are in and active until HS graduation, and that is a record most other national units don’t have.

If this brings in whole families, and keeps them whole, I’m good with it.