Girl Scouts receive $250,000 after rejecting anti-transgender donation

Girl Scouts USA recently announced an official policy of allowing transgender girls to join, and has stuck to its guns in the face of a huge financial incentive to change.

The Western Washington branch of the group, which is similar to the Girl Guides in the UK, was recently given $100,000 but told that it must not use the money to support transgender girls - a donation the group chose to send back.

Girl Scouts is for every girl. And every girl should have the opportunity to be a Girl Scout if she wants to.

• Megan Ferland, Western Washington Girl Scouts CEO (via Seattle Met)

Since then, however, the group has recouped that money through the generous donations of the scores of people who do want to support the Girl Scouts' principle of inclusivity.

Megan Ferland, the branch's CEO, launched an IndieGoGo page asking people to help them re-raise the money they had lost out on.

Our vision at Girl Scouts of Western Washington is that EVERY girl in our region — regardless of her race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity or geographic location — is empowered to unleash her potential, build her future and transform her world.

• IndieGoGo page

The response to the #ForEveryGirl campaign has been overwhelming.

Nearly 5,000 people had donated a combined $250,000 (£158,000) in the first two days of the page being online with the number continuing to rise. The group claimed on Tuesday evening that the figure would allow 1,000 girls to "fully participate in all of the many life-changing experiences that Girl Scouts has to offer".

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