I'd say every transgender person has issues. Though some of them may be very intelligent, they are confused. Their is no such thing as your gender being in your head. Its almost a psychotic thing of being obsessed with being a particular gender that's not your own and for some to go to the extremes of surgery and go through the pain, time, and effort just to change their gender. I mean whats the big deal. I think if anyone thought with a mature and open mind they could see them self as the opposite sex than what they are. I mean if I was born a girl, I would have been a girl cause that's what I am. If their was only one other person left in the world and it was a male, yeah I might turn gay. When I was little i had a older sister so I wanted to play barbies and do girl things with her because i was impressionable and i wanted to spend time with her. I put on my moms heals before and lipstick before which is all totally normal but fortunately I also had a Dad to tell me your a man like daddy and men don't do those things, this is how you be a man.

I am a teenage girl in Girl Scouts. I have been in Scouts since preschool (the Daisy level) and I am now in eleventh grade (the Ambassador level). I've been in multiple troops, have gone to many camps, and been a counselor and Assistant Leader for camps and troops (respectively).
 
I would have absolutely NO problem with a transgender girl in my troop – I would never have had any problem with it, no matter my age – and I know the other girls in my troop would feel the same way. It doesn't matter what she is physically; if she identifies as a girl and wants to be in Girl Scouts, then so be it. Who are we to exclude her? Anyone who disagrees can leave. (And I would feel the same way if an out-and-proud lesbian joined my troop as well, in case you're wondering.)
 
Children are often more open-minded than you think, and certainly more accepting than their parents. I don't think assuming that the girls in that troop would be uncomfortable at sleepovers and campouts is fair, to them or to Bobby. I definitely wouldn't feel threatened, and from experience I can tell you that we don’t shower together in Girl Scout camps. Simple issues like that could be dealt with individually.
 
I am not the minority here in my way of thinking. Girl Scouts teaches (and has taught me) acceptance of diversity and respect for every individual.

I don't really understand why it is such an issue to let someone participate in a social activity of their choice.  I am a 21 year old female who played football with the boys, rather than putting on make up with the girls.  I went to Guides for a little while, but ended up bored and frustrated as I indentified more with the Scouts activities that I saw many of my male friends participating in.  More recently I have been questioned about my sexuality within relationships due to my open admiration for attractive women and sometimes androgenous dress.  These qualities are not from being in a male dominated environment growing up, it was a 3 -1 female to male ratio in our home, it just so happens that I am more male identified in my gender choices.  It didn't stop me playing football, camping in the woods and doing DIY with my Dad, why should Bobby's biological sex determine what activities she can participate in?  As a young lone female within a supervised group made up of male peers I wasn't a threat or in danger, so why tar Bobby with these labels for wanting to enjoy herself?  I can only try to understand how hard it must be to stand up and be counted as transgender, with all the prejudice out there, and I applaude people like Bobby and his family for not being afraid to stand against the binary methods of gendering that have been formed within society.

GSA is pretty cool, i hope the local branch let's the young trans girl join up.

I'm a gay man and very comfortable being a man. I do know some transgender people and I feel that this truly is distinct from homosexuality. What I want to mention and bring to light is how comfortable and happy this boy is being a girl - with his 'boy parts' intact! I hope s/he can find love and acceptance as a girl, accept herself as a girl, without having to undergo very expensive and extreme body modification surgery.

I was not expecting GSA to have such a 21st century view on the matter. It's funny how it's the polar opposite from crap BSA pulls.

Boy, you guys should read some of the YAHOO! News comments about this story. What a bunch of ignorant, backwards pukes. ee-YIKES. This is like heaven.

They are letting him join so they don't get bad press to all the parents who think he should be allowed in.. but, as a liberal.. i have to agree with a lot of the comments on here. He is a Boy by birth. More than likely, it is because of his mother that he acts and dresses like a girl.. he is only 7... and while i know kids know the difference between boys and girls.. i just don't think that he is that insightful into his own psyche at such a young age to have made the decision for himself to "be" a girl.i don't see a problem with young children (under age 9ish) sharing sleeping arrangements.. because most of them aren't going to see it as anything sexual in nature.. the only thing is i am sure that both the girls and him would be put off by changing clothes, bathing, etc around each other.. which is sure to happen on overnights. it's one thing to feel this way after puberty.. as hormones kick in and he discovers who he is physically attracted to, and other things that he just can't know right now.i feel sorry for the poor girls that will have him in their troop.. as it is extremely unfair to them and their parents to allow him to join without asking how they feel about it. I hope that if they do feel uncomfortable about it, that they ask to change troops because of it.. not to segregate the child.. but to show the people who didn't acknowledge their feelings about it from the beginning. i have no hatred towards anybody or their lifestyle.. i have many friends that are gay, drag queens.. etc.. and in adult situations don't mind sharing public restrooms with them... but we aren't talking about adults.. we are talking about children.. and while i feel they should be educated on sexuality.. i don't think it should be this way, or this young.I think everyone deserves the right to happiness.. but it should never be at the cost of someone else's happiness.. yes, he should have the right to enjoy a scouts experience, but it should only be after it has been discussed with the troop he is going to be joining and their parents. i actually think he would be better off in boy scouts though. maybe some of the gender cues from the other boys might rub off on him.. or he may come to realize that he doesn't want to be a girl after all.. who knows.. i am all for gays, transgenders etc having all the rights normal heterosexual people do.. including marriage.. but i have seen so many of them act like only their feelings on the subject matter.. and while i suppose i can understand a little.. that they are fighting for rights.. they need to stop being so stuck on themselves and realize that the world doesn't revolve around them.. and if they want people to be considerate of their feelings.. they should be considerate towards the feelings of others as well..

I can assure you that this kid is not acting and dressing like a girl because of his mother. Child psychologists who work with transgender kids know that gender identity comes from within, usually from early childhood. Kids do actually know who they are when it comes to gender -- just try putting a dress on a five-year-old boy and saying "You're a girl now!", and watch him put up a struggle. A majority of people who are transgender don't suddenly have a light bulb appear over their heads in adulthood -- a "eureka, I'm actually a woman!" moment. (Though it's worth noting that that does happen for some people, because not all of us had the vocabulary or the self-awareness to put our fingers on what was wrong, especially if we liked both boy things and girl things or grew up in really strict religious environments, etc.) If Bobby's parents were attempting to raise their male-identified son as a girl, then Bobby would be fighting them every step of the way, and demanding to be able to act and dress like a boy. That's not happening here. Bobby seems like a happy, contented little kid, except for not being allowed to join the Girl Scouts without everyone making a big stink about it.

In fact, from a medical and psychological standpoint, requiring this child to develop a deeper voice and muscles and facial hair before determining "who he is" could actually do much more harm than good -- because the development of those characteristics could plunge a trans kid into a deep depression. That's why doctors and psychologists recommend putting transgender kids on hormone blockers to delay puberty until they are old enough (usually in their late teens) to make informed decisions about going through medically supervised gender transition.You say that Bobby should have the right to enjoy a Scout experience. I agree with you 100%. But if you think that Bobby has that right, then the feelings of others just don't come into play. If the feelings of other people were taken into consideration when deciding whether or not a minority group has any rights, then no minority group would have rights. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people have to shout and fight and claw our way to equality precisely because the world *doesn't* revolve around us -- it revolves around straight people who are comfortable with their assigned genders, who get accepted into the Scouts without question and without being held up for ridicule. Bobby doesn't need their permission to enjoy herself. She doesn't need to take into consideration the delicate feelings of those poor, poor privileged people who *aren't the ones being discriminated against* as she goes through life, being herself, and asking to be included just like any other person would. Of course only our feelings matter when it comes to issues like this -- we're the ones being excluded, discriminated against, even harassed! The feelings of the people who are perpetuating exclusion and discrimination, or who are standing idly by and letting it happen and rolling at their eyes at us for making a fuss, don't matter. It's not unfair to the other girls in Bobby's troop or their parents to ask them to simply be nice and welcoming and include Bobby in fun, girly activities. Asking them to accept someone who is different is not going to destroy their happiness. They're still going to get to bake and learn to sew and run races, and maybe even make friends with Bobby. If you really have gay friends and support LGBT rights, then you'll see how much your own argument sounds like the people who think that straight marriages are somehow going to suffer if we let the gays get married, too. Yes, indeed, we LGBT folks are so inconsiderate to be asked to be treated...just like the heterosexual people who are the only people you seem to think deserve the adjective "normal." (Really, you manage to have and keep gay friends when you say things like "I think they deserve to be treated just like NORMAL people"? Your gay friends are not Martians. They ARE normal people.)

Finally, in what circumstance would any responsible Scout leader allow Bobby or her fellow Scouts to change clothes around each other? That's the only situation in which the feelings of Bobby's fellow Scouts would come into play, and it's not one that is likely to happen. I'll say it again: these kids are NOT going to be unsupervised.

I disagree. I feel that the feelings of the young girls who are to be in Bobby's troop should be taken into account. Bobby may be different, but if we are arguing that bobby should be treated no differently, then why should the feelings of others not matter. They would matter for anyone else, so they matter in this situation as well.

I agree with you Krysten. Besides, this whole thing is stupid. He identifies himself as a girl, and his parents present him as a girl, therefore he should be allowed to participate in girl scouts? So if i identify myself as a terrier and am presented as one, am i eligible to enter a dog show? I feel the same way as you. I hope those girls feel too uncomfortable and disgusted for that matter to ever want to return to girl scouts.

"Disgusted"? You "hope" they are "disgusted"? 7 year old girls are going to be "disgusted" by the presence of a trans girl who, aside from the genital appendage they were born with, is essentially the same as they are? They probably won't even notice/care about the difference unless they have parents as bigoted as you who've imposed their viewpoints on them. I for one hope those girls take this as a lesson in tolerance, acceptance, and love of fellow human beings.

that's a great mom, she lets her child BE HERSELF. You can't ask for more than that, except that other people do too.

whatever happened to the good old days... closet yourself until you move to the big city, finally reconcile with your parents on their deathbeds

Well, at some point, people started treating each other with slightly more respect.

This kid and her mother are smarter than half the people who have commented here.

Start a transgender Girl/Boy Scout organization. The left are always crying like a baby about how unfair these organizations are and how religious they are blah blah. Chaz Bono is not busy anymore, maybe he'd be interested.

You do realize that GSA has a policy in place to include this kid, right? GSA has the legal rights it has, knows about them, and made this policy. Why is it that the right are always trying to impose "rights" on people making decisions?

You got that backasswards. The LEFT is always trying to impose their "rights" on the rest of us. Same sex marriage for example.
The Girl Scouts are a private organization, that is why they've been so successful, and can do what they want. Like I said, start your own lesbian/gay etc organization. It's done for schools and even senior centers. This whole thing smells and sounds like Mom has issues. Nice she makes an example out of her kid for attention.

I hate when the left makes me marry another man. Bastards.

GSA knows its rights and made its decision. Apparently THEY started the lesbian/gay (are we including transgendered there?) organization. So, YOU start an exclusive group.

The Boy Scouts of America exclude trans kids, and gay kids, and atheists. If they wanted to, the Girl Scouts could do the exact same thing. They're a private organization and they could admit whoever they wanted. They have chosen to welcome kids like Bobby into their ranks. Seems pretty simple to me.