A Girl Scouts’ group in the US has relented and allowed a seven year old boy, who claims to be “transgender” to 
join its ranks.
The leader of a Girl Scouts troop in the US state of Colorado initially told the boy, Bobby Montoya, that he couldn’t join on the basis that he wasn’t a girl.
However, a spokesperson for the organisation told local television station KUSA-TV in Denver that they had had a change of heart.
The spokesperson said: “Girl Scouts is an inclusive organization and we accept all girls in Kindergarten through 12th grade as members.
“If a child identifies as a girl and the child’s family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout.”
Felisha Archuleta, the boy’s mother, was first told by the local troop over the phone that she could enroll her son.
“Bobby identifies as a girl, and he’s a boy,” she told KUSA-TV.
“He’s been doing this since he was about 2 years old. He’s loved girl stuff, so we just let him dress how he wants, as long as he’s happy.”
However, the local troop leader in the boy’s area told the mother that he couldn’t be in the Girl Scouts because he had “boy parts”
“Girl Scouts don’t allow that I don’t want to be in trouble by parents or my supervisor,” she said.
In response, the state organisation told KUSA-TV, “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.
“In this case, an associate delivering our programme was not aware of our approach.”
In Ireland, Government proposals to recognise transgender persons will not require applicants to have had a ‘sex change’ operation.
This means a person with male sex organs could be officially recognised as a woman and vice versa,
However, transgender activists believe the Government proposal doesn’t go far enough. They believe it should be up to the individual to determine which gender they are and it should not have to be validated by a third party such as a doctor. (LINK]
In July, Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton announced proposals to publish legislation for the recognition for people who believe they have been born into the wrong sex
The announcement after the publication of a report by the Gender Recognition Advisory Group.
The proposed legislation would require applicants to have lived with their acquired gender for at least two years.
If applicants can provide a formal medical diagnosis of their condition they do not have to undergo a ‘sex change’ operation.
Applicants must also be over 18 and they must not be in a subsisting marriage or civil partnership.
Both the Transgender Equality Network of Ireland (TENI) and the ICCL have expressed concern about the proposed legislation because it will not allow “transgender” married people to obtain recognition under the law.
TENI have criticised [1] the fact that the bill will not allow people who are in existing marriages or civil partnerships from obtaining “sex changes” or other “transgender” recognition.