from the Daily Telegraph
Liverpool group’s move could be first of many after Supreme Court ruling, say organisation leaders
A Girlguiding group has switched to the Scouts amid a row over the organisation’s transgender policy, with others said to be considering similar moves, The Telegraph can reveal.
The 280th Liverpool Rangers unit closed as a Girlguiding group in December and reopened as the 280th Achilles Scout group in January.
The move came after Girlguiding – previously The Girl Guides Association – announced it would restrict membership to biological girls and young women, following last April’s Supreme Court ruling that sex in equality law refers to biological sex.
In a statement shared online, the group said it had “collectively agreed that we no longer share the same values as the organisation”, adding that the move would allow them to “continue to provide a space that is inclusive, supportive and reflective of the values we believe in”.
The unit had previously set out its position in a social media post stating that “trans girls are girls … and will always have a place with us”.
Internal discussions among Girlguiding leaders suggest others may follow suit, with some exploring moving entire units into alternative organisations or setting up independent youth groups.
Messages seen by The Telegraph show leaders discussing options including transferring to the Scouts, affiliating with other organisations, or, in one case, working with a local Pride group.
Girlguiding has about 300,000 members aged four to 18, while the Scout Association has more than 450,000 young people and volunteers across the UK and has been fully co-educational since 2007.
The Scouts allow young people to take part according to their gender identity, with arrangements for activities such as overnight stays considered case by case, taking into account safeguarding and individual needs.