The Girl Scouts’ Betrayal of Parents and Families

The Girl Scouts, founded in 1913, were once an organization known for teaching young girls practical skills, community service, leadership, and wholesome friendship. Mothers and fathers could trust that their daughters would learn how to camp, canoe, build character, and serve their neighbors. But in New Jersey, as in much of the nation, the Girl Scouts have been overtaken by ideological activism—and parents who dare to disagree are being punished.

This week, Alexandra Bougher, a mother of a Park Ridge Girl Scout and the Bergen County chair of Moms for Liberty, revealed that she was abruptly removed as a troop leader after seven years of service. Her “offense”? Expressing on social media that her troop would not participate in Pride Month events.

Screen shot of Girl Scouts endorsed LGBTQIA-XYZ plus, plus, plus ad infinitum pride month image.

Bougher said she received a phone call from Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey informing her she was done—effective immediately. No specific violation was named, only a vague reference to their “code of conduct.” Even her daughter was expelled as collateral damage.

For more than seven years, Bougher led a troop of 30 girls—mentoring them, taking them camping, helping them serve their community. Parents entrusted her with their daughters. Yet all of that was swept aside because she dared to hold to her convictions as a parent.

The Facebook screenshot by Mrs. Bougher after being dismissed as a girl scout leader followed by the expulsion of her daughter from Girl Scouts.

The Girl Scouts’ move is not an isolated incident. In recent years, the organization has embraced left-wing activism, including promoting LGBTQ+ ideology and endorsing Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020. Parents like Bougher who simply want Girl Scouts to remain apolitical, safe, and focused on character-building are finding themselves increasingly alienated—or outright expelled.

The fallout has even extended beyond scouting. A United Church of Christ parish, First Congregational Church of Park Ridge, hosts many of the Girl Scout meetings and events. The United Church of Christ is a highly progressive, vaguely biblical denomination. During Pride month, they displayed a Pride flag and hosted a citywide Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) meeting led by a 13-year-old and explicitly stated that no adults would be present. The church claimed to be “targeted for hate” online after posts from concerned parents drew attention. Allegedly, some anonymous comments escalated to threats of violence—violence which Bougher condemned. Yet the Girl Scouts appear more interested in punishing a mother’s viewpoint than protecting free speech or parental rights.

First Congregational Church of Park Ridge, NJ, a United Church of Christ Parish

At stake is far more than one mother’s leadership role. This controversy highlights the broader struggle in New Jersey and across America: Will parents be allowed to guide their children’s moral upbringing, or will activist organizations and cultural elites impose their agenda by force?

For over 100 years, the Girl Scouts built a reputation as a safe space for girls to grow in confidence and character. But by pushing divisive ideology and silencing dissent, they betray that mission and alienate the very families they claim to serve.

The Center for Garden State Families stands firmly with parents like Alexandra Bougher. No mother should be punished for defending her daughter from radical activism. No child should lose out on scouting, camping, and community service because her parents expressed a traditional belief online. It is the opinion of the Center for Garden State Families that what the Girl Scouts are doing is nothing short of enabling and grooming children into a culture with behaviors that are dangerous and not supported by science. “There are no replicated scientific studies supporting any specific biologic etiology for homosexuality.” American Psychiatric Association. There is no gay gene, there is no cluster of genes, everything LGBTQIA – XYZ plus plus plus is a developmental gender identity disorder. Developed, not innate; acquired, not inborn.

It is time for New Jersey families to demand accountability. The Girl Scouts must choose whether they will return to their original mission or continue down the path of political indoctrination. Our communities deserve better. Parents deserve better. Our daughters deserve better.