Julie Bentley The New Chief Executive Of The Girl Guides Plans To Modernise The Organisation.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0117qtq

Why should the Girl Guides be exclusively a girls only organisation, when the Boy Scouts have changed their name to The Scouts and made girls welcome to join?

Because of this the Girl Guides cannot be classed an equal opportunity organisation, but it also invites a charge of it being a sexist organisation.

Julie Bentley tells us that they will not admit boys into the groups saying it's very important that the Guides 'remain a safe girl only space.'

Is she then saying that the girls are not safe in a mixed boys and girls space, if so then how come they are perfectly safe joining the boys in the Scouts?

Richard Littlejohn puts his own slant on the matter,

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2322158/RICHARD-LITTLEJOHN-How-far-Julie-Bentley-prepared-order-make-Girl-Guides-relevant.html

[sp1814]

Julie Bentley is not in charge of The Scouts. Whatever policies they implement are their own.

Whatever policies the Girl Guides implement are again, their own. If she were chief executive of both organisations, she could be accused of being hypocritical.

But she's not.

[FredPuli43]

Escapes me too, aog, as a matter of reciprocity, but the clue is in the word 'girl'. An organisation which exists for the benefit of, and furtherance of the interests of people of the one sex, or where the very existence of the body could only be for the one sex, cannot be seen as discriminatory or, in your word (not mine) "sexist".

[Zeuhl]

You may find it difficult to understand aog but the guides and scouts are both aiming to optimise their recruitment

As independent organisations with targets they are entitled to do that

There is a prospect group of girls who want to join the scouts
Oddly enough, there aren't so many boys wanting to join the guides

It's called 'market forces'

[mikey4444]

I was a very keen and committed Cub Scout when I was young, and girls were not admitted in the 60's, nor would we boys have wanted them to ! So I can't really argue with the Guides being exclusively for girls. But its nice that the Scouts now admit everybody. Sorry...mixed emotions on this issue but at age 60 I'm not really sure that anybody would value my views !

[jno]

come on, mikey, do your best...

[anotheoldgit]

FredPuli43

/// Escapes me too, aog, as a matter of reciprocity, but the clue is in the word 'girl'. An organisation which exists for the benefit of, and furtherance of the interests of people of the one sex, ///

And so were the 'Scouts' once called the 'Boy Scouts', but they changed their name to accommodate girls, so why is this organisation allowed to remain specifically for girls, especially in this age of 'none discrimination'?

[friedgreentomato]

The boy scouts did not have to become the scouts - they were not forced to take girls - they made a choice.

It the same way as the girl guides have made a choice not to take boys.

[whiskeryron]

In the same way one could argue that an organization should be launched to cover those unfortunate people we hear about who are not sure if they are male or female, or indeed cross dressers. What should we call this new organization ?. Suggestions on a postcard please ASAP.

WR.

[mikey4444]

I hope this doesn't sound sexist, as its not meant to but .....

I can understand girls wanting to join the Scouts. When this first happened, it was frankly because the Scouts offered more exciting activities that most Guide groups did. That was the case with the Scout troop that I was involved with as a volunteer and helper. But why would any boy want to join the Guides ?

[boxtops]

Some girls join the Guides who for cultural reasons are not permitted to mix with boys e.g. at camps. you'd exclude them if you opened up to boys.

[friedgreentomato]

Not sexist in the least - but when I was a girl guide we did pretty much the same as the scouts appart from knitting and sewing - the scouts did that and we did'nt! ;-)

[naomi24]

//Some girls join the Guides who for cultural reasons are not permitted to mix with boys e.g. at camps. you'd exclude them if you opened up to boys.//

Perhaps rather than expect organisations to consider cultural foibles before deciding upon rules, the culture you speak of should consider revising its out-dated outlook. After all, if we go along with that train of thought, an even greater proportion of the population is excluded - around 50 per cent.

[anotheoldgit]

mikey4444

/// But why would any boy want to join the Guides ? ///

Perhaps effeminate one's, should these not also be catered for?

[anotheoldgit]

whiskeryron

/// What should we call this new organization ?. Suggestions on a postcard please ASAP. ///

The Mixter Troop, perhaps?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2318863/Brighton-Council-adopts-new-MX-title-transgender-population.html

[whiskeryron]

// The Mixter Troop, perhaps? //

Well said aog, that's settled then.

WR.

[Zeuhl]

/Perhaps effeminate one's, should these not also be catered for? /

If you're so interested in the subject aog, perhaps YOU should start one

[FredPuli43]

aog,you're showing your age ! "Effeminacy in men" was one of the forbidden subjects in the BBC'guide for comedy writer in the late 40s and early 50s,a status it shared with women's underwear, inter alia. What the guide's writers meant was "homosexual men".They thought that homosexual men were all generally effeminate ,just as you appear to do (see your remark ,if you deny that). It was convenient as fiction and avoided the thought that such men as Lord Kitchener and Baden Powell were homosexual.

[anotheoldgit]

FredPuli43

/// They thought that homosexual men were all generally effeminate ,just as you appear to do (see your remark ,if you deny that). ///

Do you get your kicks out of being confrontational towards me.

I purposely put effeminate rather than homosexual, simply to explain why some boys would wish to join the Girl Guides, ie an interest in girl's activities just as one would describe a girl as being a 'Tom Boy' when they are interested in Boyish pursuits.

Both these types of Boy and Girls do not necessarily have to be homosexual.

[FredPuli43]

I am not getting any' kicks' out of being 'confrontational' with you ,aog; those words are your choice. But I'm sure you would agree that you enjoy confrontation.That's is why you choose many of the topics you do and express your posts in the words that you do.