Bridgehampton girl fights for inclusion in Boy Scouts

A Bridgehampton girl is fighting for inclusion in the Boy Scouts after she was denied the chance to be a part of the organization. Sydney Ireland, 15, says she unofficially participated in the Boy

News 12 Staff

Aug 9, 2016, 1:47 AM

Updated 2,979 days ago

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A Bridgehampton girl is fighting for inclusion in the Boy Scouts after she was denied the chance to be a part of the organization.
Sydney Ireland, 15, says she unofficially participated in the Boy Scouts with her older brother. However, when she wanted to continue in the Boy Scouts she says she was denied because it's for boys only.
Ireland says most scout programs abroad are co-ed. She says she wants a chance to earn the badge of Eagle Scout, which is the highest ranking in the Boy Scouts.
Ireland's father, Gary, says allowing his daughter to earn the badge of Eagle Scout would open so many doors for her.
"It gets you into some of the military academies, into the naval academy and also gets you really good jobs that are highly competitive," says Gary Ireland. 
The Boy Scouts issued a statement saying, "The Boy Scouts of America was chartered by Congress in 1916 to serve boys and young men...we have since developed alternative programs that are co-ed, such as Venturing, but to change the Cub or Boy Scouting programs would go outside the bounds of our charter."