Crossdressing 7-year-old boy allowed to join Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts of Colorado has announced that 7-year-old Bobby Montoya, who was initially turned away from a local Girl Scout chapter on the grounds that he is not a girl, will be allowed to join since he “identifies” as a girl.
Rachelle Trujillo, vice president of communications with Girl Scouts of Colorado, told CNSnews.comthat any child who is “living life as a girl” is eligible for membership in the organization.
Bobby Montoya
“We have privacy rights that we are very respectful of with families,” Trujillo said. “We do not require proof of gender when a family wants their daughter to be a member of Girl Scouts.”
Bobby’s mother, Felisha Archuleta, says her son was “humiliated” when he was turned away by a Girl Scout leader earlier this month.
When the story became public, Girl Scouts of Colorado released a statement repudiating the troop leader’s actions.
“Our requests for support of transgender kids have grown, and Girl Scouts of Colorado is working to best support these children, their families and the volunteers who serve them,” the statement said.
“In this case, an associate delivering our program was not aware of our approach. She contacted her supervisor, who immediately began working with the family to get the child involved and supported in Girl Scouts.”
Archuleta has since told ABC News that she is in contact with the organization and has been assured that the leader who rejected Bobby would be given “sensitivity classes.”
“I believe [Bobby] was born in the wrong body,” she said. “For birthdays, he asked for ponies. He had a princess birthday, and last year when he turned 7, he had a Rapunzel birthday. I have just basically supported him.”
She claimed that her son has believed he was a girl since he was two years old.
The news service reported that Bobby has started dressing in girl clothing in public after his clash with the girl scouts. According to Archuleta, in the past, he has mostly gone to school dressed as a boy to avoid teasing.
The 7-year-old appeared last week on the Denver-based news station 9news.com dressed in girl clothing.
“I like brats, barbies, strawberry shortcake,” he told the reporter. “I like any girl stuff.”
