I couldn't decide where to start today, but since we've been reading about Pete Hegseth ordering U.S. military personnel to make sure every person aboard those boats in the Caribbean are killed, let's start with him. No, we're not discussing the war crimes and murders taking place in the islands. We're talking about "Scouting America," née Boy Scouts of America, who have reimagined themselves as an organization that not only welcomes gay men and boys, but also opens its arms to girls and transgender kids.
➡️ The Trump administration is not planning to observe World AIDS Day this year, breaking with both Republican and Democratic presidents since 1988. Plus, a new study shows that funding cuts could lead to millions of additional HIV infections by 2030. Meanwhile, Democrats and advocacy groups are accusing the Justice Department of ignoring hate crimes, and a Florida driver was arrested after allegedly trying to run over a LGBTQ+ running group.
➡️ Scouting America (formerly the Boy Scouts of America) is being targeted by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth because it changed its name to be more inclusive of all genders. Our reporter Ryan Adamczeski got the organization's response. Plus, The 19th News reports on the complex history of LGBTQ+ immigrants in America, and a Democrat running for office in Illinois had a very sparkly reply to a Christian group's anti-transgender survey.
In a memo drafted to Congress, Hegseth writes that he wants to cut the military's support for Scouting America, the 115-year-old organization teaching kids survival and outdoor skills. In the draft leaked to NPR, Hegseth condemns the Scouts for being "genderless" and promoting "gender confusion" and DEI initiatives. (The group changed its name from the Boy Scouts in February and formally began letting girls join in 2018.)
The century-old partnership between the U.S. military and Scouting could be coming to an end. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning for the military to sever all ties with Scouting America, saying the group once known as the Boy Scouts is no longer a meritocracy and has become an organization designed to "attack boy-friendly spaces," according to documents reviewed by NPR.
