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The Pentagon and Pete Hegseth Pressure Scouting America to Eliminate DEI

I Was a DEI Boy Scout. and I Have Thoughts

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The Pentagon, through Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, made it clear that Scouting America’s continued access to military bases, logistical support, and federal partnership depended on the organization aligning itself with the administration’s anti‑DEI policies. According to the report, Hegseth warned that the Department of War would withdraw its backing if Scouting America kept any diversity, equity, or inclusion initiatives in place. That threat carried real weight because the scouting program relies heavily on military installations for troop meetings, jamborees, and recruitment pipelines.

Faced with the possibility of losing that infrastructure, Scouting America agreed to dismantle its DEI‑related programming, including the “Citizenship in Society” merit badge, which had been required for Eagle Scout candidates. The organization also adopted new rules requiring membership and facility use to be based on biological sex, aligning itself with the administration’s broader directives.

I grew up in Minneapolis, MN, not the Blackest of American cities, yet we did have Black churches, two predominantly Black high schools, and two Black sections of town. I attended a newly integrated elementary school and…