Donor Says Girl Scouts Can’t Use $100K Gift for Trans girls

[bimbi284]

LGBT
Donor Says Girl Scouts Can’t Use $100K Gift for Transgender Girls
So the organization gave the money back. And now they want your help.

By Matthew Halverson Published Monday, June 29, 2015 at 6:06pm
3.7K62
Girl scouts kwpveg
Courtesy Girl Scouts of Western Washington

A $50,000 donation is cause for celebration at the Queen Anne offices of the Girl Scouts of Western Washington. “We have these little clapper thingies, and the clappers go mad when we get that kind of gift,” says the council’s CEO, Megan Ferland. So when Ferland came back to the office earlier this spring and announced that she’d just landed a $100,000 donation, the place went mad. Not only did it represent nearly a quarter of the council’s annual fundraising goal, it would pay to send 500 girls to camp. “We were thrilled,” Ferland says.

Except there was a catch. In late May, as news of Caitlyn Jenner’s transition was blowing up your Facebook news feed, she received a letter from the donor with a brief request: Please guarantee that our gift will not be used to support transgender girls. If you can’t, please return the money.

Ferland chooses her words carefully when discussing the donor, whose identity she won’t reveal out of respect for their privacy. “The relationship is complex,” is all she’ll say. But she does admit to being “very sad” upon receiving the letter. Shortly after that, though, she made up her mind about how to respond: In a short letter, she informed the donor that she would, in fact, be returning the money. Her reasoning was simple. “Girl Scouts is for every girl,” she says. “And every girl should have the opportunity to be a Girl Scout if she wants to.”

This is the second time in less than five years that a Girl Scouts council has taken a public stand to support transgender girls, and both times Ferland was at the center of the story. In 2012, when she headed the organization’s Colorado council, a 7-year-old transgender girl in Denver was denied entry to a troop. Although the council had never specifically said that it accepted transgender girls, the national organization had always made inclusivity the foundation of its mission. So after checking with the council’s attorney, Ferland issued a public statement welcoming transgender girls and explaining that the council was working to find a troop for the girl who’d been rejected. “Every girl that is a Girl Scout is a Girl Scout because her parent or guardian brings her to us and says, ‘I want my child to participate,’” Ferland says. “And I don’t question whether or not they’re a girl.”


She’s not shying away from controversy this time, either. And an Indiegogo campaign that the Girl Scouts of Western Washington launched Monday morning makes that pretty clear: “Help us raise back the $100,000 a donor asked us to return because we welcome transgender girls,” reads the council’s statement on the site, front and center under a video proclaiming that “Girl Scouts is for every girl.”

The Gender Justice League, which supports the transgender community in Seattle, has pledged to spread the word about the campaign. “We’re so profoundly grateful that Girl Scouts of Western Washington are standing by their values to support all girls,” says executive director Danni Askini. “It’s also mortifying that the donor withdrew this funding. It’s a clear example of how much bias and prejudice against transgender people still exists in our society.”

The word inclusivity comes up a lot when talking to Ferland about Girl Scouts, and according to a psychology professor at the University of Washington, it’s a concept that’s even more important to transgender children. “It certainly is the case that for all people—transgender or otherwise—having people acknowledge the identity that you see yourself as having is very important,” says Kristina Olson. “And feeling supported in who you are—in any aspect of any kid’s life—is going to make them feel better about themselves, do better in the world. So we have a lot of evidence that what we call social support is associated with much better outcomes for kids. And that seems to be especially true among transgender kids.”

Yet while they may acknowledge their identity to themselves, being open about it with others can be much more difficult. “There’s a lot of violence and discrimination and prejudice against transgender people,” Askini says. “So even if people know they’re transgender, they don’t always transition because of that prejudice and bias and discrimination. So the thing about Girl Scouts that’s so vital to all girls is that it’s about creating community and ending isolation.”

Olson is currently conducting a long term study on gender identity among young children. Among the more than 100 trans children her research has focused on in the last two years, 97 percent identified themselves as being the opposite gender than their sex would suggest between one and a half and three and a half years of age. “And that’s the same age that we see other kids who aren’t transgender identify their gender for the first time,” she says.

The Girl Scouts of Colorado took heat from some parents for taking such a clear stand in support of transgender girls, but Ferland wasn’t worried about blowback then. And she isn’t now. “This is the right thing to do, so there was not anything else to do other than return the gift,” she says. “And we need the $100,000 back so we can serve more girls. So we’re going to do everything we can to raise that money. And if it raises a ruckus, it raises a ruckus.”

If the results of the campaign after one day are any indication, it already has. By 5pm—just nine hours after going live—the council had raised nearly $25,000.
www.seattlemet.com/articles/2015/6/29/donor-says-girl-scouts-can-t-use-100k-gift-for-transgender-girls

[nomad100]

I don't know why but this is making me cry this morning. Good for the Girl Scouts! I always knew it was a great organization but now, I know that is more so. And screw that donor. Right up the ass.

[josieposy]

They're over $40,000 this morning. Good for them!

[Deleted]

I love Girl Scouts so much.

[onomatopoeia]

I'm being super-cynical this morning, but...I'm not sure I believe her.

[pixy0stix]

Jun 30, 2015 7:40:43 GMT -5 onomatopoeia said:

I'm being super-cynical this morning, but...I'm not sure I believe her.

Why?

[onomatopoeia]

Jun 30, 2015 7:43:21 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Jun 30, 2015 7:40:43 GMT -5 onomatopoeia said:

I'm being super-cynical this morning, but...I'm not sure I believe her.

Why?

This part kind of stuck out to me: "This is the second time in less than five years that a Girl Scouts council has taken a public stand to support transgender girls, and both times Ferland was at the center of the story."  It just seemed very coincidental to me.  I don't know.  I hope I'm just being an asshole.

Plus, I know there are bigoted people out there but I just find it hard to believe that someone would feel so passionate about the girl scouts that they would donate 100k (with the scouts already having made a statement that they support transgendered girls), and then a few weeks later ask for it back just so that it wouldn't be used for transgendered girls. 

My conspiracy theory is that she thought she had a 100k donation, announced it to the organization before it was concrete, and it it didn't pan out for other reasons.  So instead of admitting she had jumped the gun, she turned it into a fundraising opportunity.

ETA: Or alternatively, the quote in italics could also mean that she's the type to take strong stand on this issue, whereas other leaders might have just quietly assured the donor that they would comply.

[kirra]

Jun 30, 2015 7:56:30 GMT -5 onomatopoeia said:

Jun 30, 2015 7:43:21 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Why?

This part kind of stuck out to me: "This is the second time in less than five years that a Girl Scouts council has taken a public stand to support transgender girls, and both times Ferland was at the center of the story."  It just seemed very coincidental to me.  I don't know.  I hope I'm just being an asshole.

Plus, I know there are bigoted people out there but I just find it hard to believe that someone would feel so passionate about the girl scouts that they would donate 100k (with the scouts already having made a statement that they support transgendered girls), and then a few weeks later ask for it back just so that it wouldn't be used for transgendered girls. 

My conspiracy theory is that she thought she had a 100k donation, announced it to the organization before it was concrete, and it it didn't pan out for other reasons.  So instead of admitting she had jumped the gun, she turned it into a fundraising opportunity.

ETA: Or alternatively, the quote in italics could also mean that she's the type to take strong stand on this issue, whereas other leaders might have just quietly assured the donor that they would comply.

I'm not saying there's no reason to be cynical.

But unfortunately, I know several people who would make that kind of donation but haven't followed news stories about the Girl Scouts- especially a specific council. I think at least some of them would ask for their donation back when they found out, and in my area, as soon as they told friends about their donation they would be told about the council's position regarding transgendered girls. And if she has taken this stance in the past, it's reasonable to assume it's still her position.

But in my area, most people assume the Girl Scouts have the same official beliefs as the Boy Scouts, and the ones who don't often refuse to let their daughters be involved with the Girl Scouts.

[pixy0stix]

Jun 30, 2015 7:56:30 GMT -5 onomatopoeia said:

Jun 30, 2015 7:43:21 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Why?

This part kind of stuck out to me: "This is the second time in less than five years that a Girl Scouts council has taken a public stand to support transgender girls, and both times Ferland was at the center of the story."  It just seemed very coincidental to me.  I don't know.  I hope I'm just being an asshole.

OR they have a transgendered girl in their troop, which is why the issue keeps coming up for them.

[mominatrix]

this is my daughter's GS council, and I'm so freaking proud of them!

[nomad100]

Jun 30, 2015 7:40:43 GMT -5 onomatopoeia said:

I'm being super-cynical this morning, but...I'm not sure I believe her.

Really?  The idea that the GS are being consistent in not accepting donations that require them to discriminate?  

And having volunteered with several Nonprofits you would be surprised at all the caveats people want to put on their donations.  Some of it reasonable, some of it not, and some of it just plain crazy.

[onomatopoeia]

Jun 30, 2015 9:39:36 GMT -5 nomad100 said:

Jun 30, 2015 7:40:43 GMT -5 onomatopoeia said:

I'm being super-cynical this morning, but...I'm not sure I believe her.

Really?  The idea that the GS are being consistent in not accepting donations that require them to discriminate?  

And having volunteered with several Nonprofits you would be surprised at all the caveats people want to put on their donations.  Some of it reasonable, some of it not, and some of it just plain crazy.

No, I know.  You're right.  Like I said in my ETA, I can see it being the fact that she's taking a strong stand against discrimination and I applaud that. 

I admit that some recent work shenanigans are coloring my view of this, which is wrong and I shouldn't have instantly jumped to skepticism. 

[underwaterrhymes]

Jun 30, 2015 9:52:29 GMT -5 onomatopoeia said:

Jun 30, 2015 9:39:36 GMT -5 nomad100 said:

Really?  The idea that the GS are being consistent in not accepting donations that require them to discriminate?  

And having volunteered with several Nonprofits you would be surprised at all the caveats people want to put on their donations.  Some of it reasonable, some of it not, and some of it just plain crazy.

No, I know.  You're right.  Like I said in my ETA, I can see it being the fact that she's taking a strong stand against discrimination and I applaud that. 

I admit that some recent work shenanigans are coloring my view of this, which is wrong and I shouldn't have instantly jumped to skepticism. 

I mentioned this in the ML thread, but in an organization this size she would not have been the only person to see this come through. She's the CEO and while I'm sure she may have some involvement in cultivating large donors, other people are assuredly doing the processing.

[blink]

Good for the Girl Scouts. It makes me incredibly sad that someone would be that closed-minded, but the message the GS (and Ferland) are sending is so great.

[josieposy]

I think their donation page broke the website. I can't get it to work now.

[allthatjazz]

They did it!! 

www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2015/06/30/girl-scouts-raise-100000-one-day-after-dropping-transphobic-donor?team=social

Within one day, the Girl Scouts of Western Washington has raised more than $100,000 dollars online — a sum being used to replace a donation the local council returned to a funder who refused to support transgender girls.

Council CEO Megan Ferland told the Seattle Met Monday that the troop had been overjoyed to receive a $100,000 donation last month. Covering nearly a third of the council's yearly operating costs, the money was meant to help 500 girls attend troop meetings and summer camps when their families couldn't afford it. But then the donor sent along one caveat:

"Please guarantee that our gift will not be used to support transgender girls. If you can't, please return the money."

Ferland didn't hesitate: she returned the money. "Girl Scouts is for every girl," she said of her decision. "And every girl should have the opportunity to be a Girl Scout if she wants to."

The Girls Scouts of Western Washington then set up an Indiegogo fundraiser that went live Monday morning to recoup the lost funds. Explaining the fundraiser on the site, the council called its $100,000 goal "ambitious," admitting it was "a lot of money," but they hoped to raise it within the site's 30-day limit. They raised $40,000 right away.

But the fundraiser officially kicked into high-gear this morning, as The Advocate, and then several other national news sites, reported the story, drawing the attention of hundreds more to what the Girl Scouts have dubbed the "#ForEVERYGirl" social media campaign.

Since 8 a.m. this morning, donations to the Girl Scouts of Western Washington have skyrocketed, at one point reaching $500 in one minute, raising the fundraiser's final $60,000 within just four hours. Support from donors — former scouts, parents of scouts, trans advocates and allies — have poured into the comments section.

"I was a Girl Scout in Seattle for 10 years," wrote one woman. "It was an important part of my life. And now, as the spouse (for more than 40 years) of a transgender woman, I can only imagine what scouting could have done for her. Thank you for maintaining the highest principles of scouting."

"#ForEVERYgirl is a cute hashtag, but you really mean it," wrote another. "That means the world to me, in part because I'm a transgender woman."

The Girl Scouts of the USA has been vocal since 2011 about its inclusion of transgender girls, reaffirming that stance last month when the anti-LGBT American Family Association targeted the organization, gathering tens of thousands of signatures on a petition demanding the Girl Scouts rescind its trans-inclusive policy.

"There is not one type of girl," explained Chief Girl Expert Andrea Bastan at the time. "Every girl's sense of self, path to it, and how she is supported is unique."

The Girl Scouts of Western Washington are now continuing the fundraiser to raise even more money to help girls who need financial assistance to attend their troop gatherings and summer camp.

[downtoearth]

Jun 30, 2015 7:56:30 GMT -5 onomatopoeia said:

Jun 30, 2015 7:43:21 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Why?

This part kind of stuck out to me: "This is the second time in less than five years that a Girl Scouts council has taken a public stand to support transgender girls, and both times Ferland was at the center of the story."  It just seemed very coincidental to me.  I don't know.  I hope I'm just being an asshole.

Plus, I know there are bigoted people out there but I just find it hard to believe that someone would feel so passionate about the girl scouts that they would donate 100k (with the scouts already having made a statement that they support transgendered girls), and then a few weeks later ask for it back just so that it wouldn't be used for transgendered girls. 

My conspiracy theory is that she thought she had a 100k donation, announced it to the organization before it was concrete, and it it didn't pan out for other reasons.  So instead of admitting she had jumped the gun, she turned it into a fundraising opportunity.

ETA: Or alternatively, the quote in italics could also mean that she's the type to take strong stand on this issue, whereas other leaders might have just quietly assured the donor that they would comply.

The OP made me happy and this idea makes me sad.

[WOT?*]

:doing a happy dance.

This is our council as well mominatrix. Thanks for posting the original. I posted on all five Girl Scout FB pages that I am a member of (King County, North PS Region, Parent/Leader/Volunteer, Daisy/Brownie and Service Unit) and it's been shared all over the place. I would LOVE to see this go crazy over the next 29 days.

Inclusivity FTW.

[mominatrix]

Jun 30, 2015 12:21:38 GMT -5 allthatjazz said:

They did it!! 

www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2015/06/30/girl-scouts-raise-100000-one-day-after-dropping-transphobic-donor?team=social

Within one day, the Girl Scouts of Western Washington has raised more than $100,000 dollars online — a sum being used to replace a donation the local council returned to a funder who refused to support transgender girls.

Council CEO Megan Ferland told the Seattle Met Monday that the troop had been overjoyed to receive a $100,000 donation last month. Covering nearly a third of the council's yearly operating costs, the money was meant to help 500 girls attend troop meetings and summer camps when their families couldn't afford it. But then the donor sent along one caveat:

"Please guarantee that our gift will not be used to support transgender girls. If you can't, please return the money."

Ferland didn't hesitate: she returned the money. "Girl Scouts is for every girl," she said of her decision. "And every girl should have the opportunity to be a Girl Scout if she wants to."

The Girls Scouts of Western Washington then set up an Indiegogo fundraiser that went live Monday morning to recoup the lost funds. Explaining the fundraiser on the site, the council called its $100,000 goal "ambitious," admitting it was "a lot of money," but they hoped to raise it within the site's 30-day limit. They raised $40,000 right away.

But the fundraiser officially kicked into high-gear this morning, as The Advocate, and then several other national news sites, reported the story, drawing the attention of hundreds more to what the Girl Scouts have dubbed the "#ForEVERYGirl" social media campaign.

Since 8 a.m. this morning, donations to the Girl Scouts of Western Washington have skyrocketed, at one point reaching $500 in one minute, raising the fundraiser's final $60,000 within just four hours. Support from donors — former scouts, parents of scouts, trans advocates and allies — have poured into the comments section.

"I was a Girl Scout in Seattle for 10 years," wrote one woman. "It was an important part of my life. And now, as the spouse (for more than 40 years) of a transgender woman, I can only imagine what scouting could have done for her. Thank you for maintaining the highest principles of scouting."

"#ForEVERYgirl is a cute hashtag, but you really mean it," wrote another. "That means the world to me, in part because I'm a transgender woman."

The Girl Scouts of the USA has been vocal since 2011 about its inclusion of transgender girls, reaffirming that stance last month when the anti-LGBT American Family Association targeted the organization, gathering tens of thousands of signatures on a petition demanding the Girl Scouts rescind its trans-inclusive policy.

"There is not one type of girl," explained Chief Girl Expert Andrea Bastan at the time. "Every girl's sense of self, path to it, and how she is supported is unique."

The Girl Scouts of Western Washington are now continuing the fundraiser to raise even more money to help girls who need financial assistance to attend their troop gatherings and summer camp.

Yay!

...but now I'm sitting on a bench at the Y, reading this and crying ugly.

[cattledogkisses]

Jun 30, 2015 9:27:07 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Jun 30, 2015 7:56:30 GMT -5 onomatopoeia said:

This part kind of stuck out to me: "This is the second time in less than five years that a Girl Scouts council has taken a public stand to support transgender girls, and both times Ferland was at the center of the story."  It just seemed very coincidental to me.  I don't know.  I hope I'm just being an asshole.

OR they have a transgendered girl in their troop, which is why the issue keeps coming up for them.

I wondered this too. "No transgender girls" is an oddly specific request, so I wonder if it was targeting a certain person.