Cincinnati archdiocese divorces Girl Scouts of the USA over LGBTQ+ inclusivity

The Girl Scouts are no longer welcome at Catholic schools in Cincinnati because of the scouting organization’s openness to LGBTQ+ and feminist perspectives. 

In a letter sent to parishioners on Monday, Oct. 28, Dennis Schnurr, archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, wrote that the scouting organization has embraced “an impoverished worldview regarding gender and sexuality.” 

Schnurr ordered Girl Scout troops in diocesan schools to one of three options by the end of 2025: find another location, disband or convert to an American Heritage Girls (AHG) troop, a Christ-centered alternative scouting troop. “Through some of their activities, resources, badges and awards, Girl Scouts – including the local chapter, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio – has contributed to normalizing a sexual and gender ideology contrary to the Catholic understanding of the human person made male and female in the image and likeness of God,” Schnurr wrote.

Catholic investigation

The diocese’s disapproval of the Girl Scouts dates back to at least 2012, when the conservative-leaning U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops investigated Girl Scouts USA for a perceived pro-abortion and pro-contraception stance and an alleged relationship with Planned Parenthood, according to a timeline on the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s website.

But the Girl Scouts USA policy states that the organization does not have a relationship with Planned Parenthood, and GSUSA does not “take a position or develop materials” on sexuality, birth control or abortion.

“We feel our role is to help girls develop self-confidence and good decision-making skills that will help them make wise choices in all areas of their lives,” GSUSA states. “Parents or guardians make all decisions regarding program participation that may be of a sensitive nature. Consistent with that belief, GSUSA directs councils, including volunteer leaders, to get written parental permission for any locally planned program that could be considered sensitive.”

In 2016, the archdiocese and Girl Scouts of Western Ohio (GSWO) announced they would cooperate for the next five years through a memorandum of understanding (MOU), a nonbinding agreement meant to more clearly establish two parties’ agreements in good faith. 

Five years later, the archdiocese sent another memo. The memo requested GSWO to “cease promotion of activities, resources, badges and awards repugnant to Catholic teaching.”

The two organizations were not able to come to an agreement, which led to the archbishop’s announcement and the promotion of American Heritage Girls.

A safe space, for one more year

For Halle Preneta and some of her friends, Girl Scouts has been a safe space. Preneta earned the Girl Scouts Gold Award in 2021 after producing her project, “A Rainbow Choir: An Anthology of LGBTQ+ Youth Voices”, and identifies as a queer woman.

Her mother was the troop leader at their rural Ohio public high school. Preneta said being in the troop was a way to learn and hang out with her friends, one of whom is transgender.

“Girl Scouts is something that is very important to me and shaped me as a person,” Preneta said. “Without Scouts, that [safe] space wouldn’t have existed.”

The LGBTQ+ Pride Fun Patch is an optional patch that troop leaders can choose whether to implement in their curriculum, Preneta said. Fun patches are not worn on the sash with badges; instead they are worn on the back of the uniform. Badges are official insignias by GSUSA with a specific criteria to earn them, and they are worn on the front.

There is a document with the patch that has recommendations for troop leaders on how they can implement the patch, but it isn’t required.

“The fact that [GSUSA] have others that are related to Black History Month and all this other stuff – they are not only encouraging troop leaders to be like, ‘Hey, you should maybe teach your girls about this,’ but I think also encouraging girls to learn about those that are different from themselves,” Preneta said.

Schnurr’s decision wasn’t welcomed by everyone in the Christian community. Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Southeast Ohio, Kristin Uffelman White, said Girl Scouts were welcome in an op-ed for the Cincinnati Enquirer.

“In The Episcopal Church, we’ve worked hard to proclaim and live into that authentic welcome for all people, regardless of sexuality and gender,” she said. “As the Girl Scouts took steps toward the clear and authentic inclusion of all girls, our church walked in parallel, removing barriers to full participation in the service, worship, and leadership of the church.”

American Heritage Girls

American Heritage Girls was started in a Cincinnati suburb in 1995 by a group of parents wanting a faith-based approach to Girl Scouts. The Christian organization’s statement of faith puts a girls’ purity above service, stewardship and integrity. American Heritage Girls promotes heterosexual marriage and refer to gender dysphoria as “confusion,” according to its promoted podcast Raising Godly Girls.

The Christian organization is now an alternative to Girl Scouts in all 50 states. 

“American Heritage Girls is thrilled to continue working alongside the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and looks forward to continued growth within its Family of Parishes,” said founder Patti Garibay in a written statement. “We look forward to maintaining our close relationship with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, as they empower girls to grow through AHG’s Christ-centered program that is strongly aligned with the Catholic faith.”

American Heritage Girls and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati declined interview requests from The Buckeye Flame. Girl Scouts of Western Ohio did not respond to requests for an interview.

“No matter what happens with this, Girl Scouts is a space that is dedicated to being open to people of multiple identities,” Preneta said. 🔥

---

IGNITE ACTION

• To access contact information for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, click here.