It was all over the news last year—the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) changed their policies regarding homosexuality, and now they’re perfectly acceptable for any secular family, right?

Well, not really. The policy change means they will no longer expel non-straight boys from scouting immediately, which is progress. But BSA still requires adult leaders and volunteers to be straight, so it’s only a half measure. Also, “Boy Scouts of America maintains that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God,” a position that applies to all ages and doesn’t seems to be in danger of changing any time soon. Now we’re down to a quarter measure. And just boys?

In 2012, I realized that my boys (then 3 and 5) might soon want to join Cub Scouts, and I wasn’t comfortable with that. What could a family do that wanted to be involved in an outdoor skills and leadership organization but didn’t want to make the ethical compromises necessary to be involved in a group that excludes non-straight adults and non-theists of all ages?

So, with some other families from the Ethical Society of St. Louis, I looked into our options. Fortunately, there are several alternatives. After investigation, we narrowed our list down to two options, and then down to one. Even if you don’t make the same final choice as we did, what we found might be useful as a starting point for your family.

If you are looking for an exact replacement for the BSA, with the history, prestige, and resources that the BSA offers, then you will be disappointed. But depending on what you’re looking for, you can find something pretty good:

I want a large group with history, prestige, and resources

In that case, your best bet might be 4-H. It’s not exactly a scouting organization, but it’s nationwide, well-known, and has good resources for groups. Their focus areas are Science, Citizenship, and Healthy Living, which can be a really good foundation for raising an ethical critical thinker.

I want a large scouting group with history, prestige, and resources

Yes, yes. Scouting. Fine, then 4-H doesn’t really fit. The closest fit is probably Camp Fire. Formerly Camp Fire Girls, this is now a co-ed group, and it has history dating back to 1910. While not as big as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, they have the framework, training, and facilities in place that none of the other alternatives here can match. Additionally, their Policy on Inclusion explicitly states that “everyone is welcome.”

We ended up not going with Camp Fire for two reasons:

Some of their websites include the phrase “Worship God” as the first entry in the Camp Fire Law. Apparently, the emphasis on this varies from region to region, but our group wasn’t comfortable with it. Since we were going to be the first Camp Fire group in our area, they wanted us to fully incorporate as a non-profit, with all the legal implications that brings. We weren’t ready for that.

In your case, though, if there already is a Camp Fire Council in your area that takes a position on “Worship God” that you can accept, then Camp Fire might be perfect.

I want to focus on the environment with my little ones

You should definitely check out Earth Champs. A program of EarthCharter, Earth Champs brings a focus on the environment, economic justice, social justice, and peace that is unmatched by the other groups. Earth Champs isn’t big, but there are several groups around the United States. They weren’t a match for us because their programming ends at age 13, but it could be great for a younger crowd. Also, their registration form (Word document) is refreshingly inclusive:

(N)o one who shares a willingness to act in the spirit of the Earth Charter should ever be denied membership in Earth Champs. Also, no one should be denied membership for reasons of ethnicity, spiritual beliefs, gender, appearance, economic class, political views, sexual orientation or physical ability.

I want a pretty website that doesn’t give a good sense that it ever got beyond marketing

Really? Alrighty then. Adventure Scouts will be perfect for you.

My family is Wiccan, and we want to learn about the environment with others like us

SpiralScouts was started by a Wiccan church that created an alternative after BSA declined to recognize Wicca for BSA religion badges. It doesn’t seem very big, but it might be perfect for your niche (though I don’t know how much overlap that niche has with this blog). Membership is “open to all who are willing to take part in this very hands-on organization, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical limitations, or any other similar condition.”

I’m really more interested in hands-on science inspired by Jane Goodall than in camping and hiking

She’s awesome, isn’t she? Anyway, I don’t know how big the group is, but you should check out Roots and Shoots. It’s a great program for environmental protection and for supporting the quality of life of animals and people. Their web site promises to connect “people of every age, race, culture, religion or economic background,” but it does not explicitly mention being inclusive regarding sexual orientation. Fortunately, they confirmed in a phone call that they are maximally inclusive, including for all gender and sexual identities.

Hmmm. . . Science and the environment are great, but we’ve gotten away from scouting, haven’t we?

I love scouting. I want to be hiking and spelunking and setting up camp while wearing the type of uniform that Lord Baden-Powell himself might have worn

Then the Baden-Powell Service Association is perfect for you; this was nearly our group’s selection. BPSA is built on an originalist interpretation of scouting, taking inspiration from the last manual written by the founder of scouting, Lord Robert Baden-Powell. Their aim is to promote good citizenship, discipline, self-reliance, loyalty, and useful skills. But while the uniforms and camping techniques are old school, the policy of inclusion is up-to-date, with openness to everyone. With 45 groups around the country, BPSA is growing fast.

Perhaps more important for some readers, BPSA is led by an atheist, so you know they won’t exclude us any time soon. You can read more about David Atchley’s progression from Eagle Scout to atheist BSA Scoutmaster to outcast to leader of a new scouting organization in an old post on Friendly Atheist.

I want a national scouting organization started by Humanists with Humanist principles at its core

Then you want Navigators USA, the organization we selected. Navigators was started by a New York City-based UU-affiliated Boy Scout troop that was kicked out of BSA because of incompatibilities on religious and sexual discrimination. Navigators has a focus on inclusiveness and diversity, stemming from its history as a group that worked to give inner city kids a chance to experience nature. There are now over 60 chapters in the United States, and they are expanding to the United Kingdom and Uganda.

I think our group could have been successful in several of these organizations, particularly in BPSA, but Navigators’ focus on Humanism and diversity born out of an urban environment made it a better fit for us.

I want a group for any gender, not just boys or girls

In a way, none of this search would have been necessary if the Girl Scouts of the USA were fully gender-inclusive, but that’s not going to happen soon, if ever, and for good reasons. I used to say that the search wouldn’t have had to happen if BSA adopted the Girl Scouts’ policies, making the nation’s biggest group for boys as inclusive as the nation’s biggest group for girls. However, one of the parents in our group pointed out that this left some children without a good option. While we were being interviewed about the Navigators on the Ask an Atheist radio show, Andy Semler mentioned that he, as a genderqueer, never would have been fully accepted and comfortable in either the Boy Scouts or the Girl Scouts, no matter their policy, simply because Andy wasn’t a boy or a girl.

While Girl Scouts are fantastic in that they accept any child who identifies as and lives culturally as a girl, that still leaves a gap for genderqueer children and for transgender children who identify as boys.

All of these fully gender-inclusive organizations bridge that gap and provide a place for Andy. This isn’t to say there wouldn’t still be issues (registration forms still usually require selecting within the gender binary), but accepting “both” genders can provide a landing place that wouldn’t otherwise exist.

Summary

None of these groups is perfect replacement for the BSA, with the prestige and resources it brings. But all of these options are fully inclusive of religious belief, ethnic background, sexual orientation, and gender. These are good alternatives for an ethical secular family.

Featured Image credit: The author, all rights reserved