San Francisco Bay Area Council                                                Boy Scouts of America

Special Announcement

January 31, 2017

Consistent with the announcement made on January 30, 2017 by the National BSA the San Francisco Bay Area Council (which serves almost 15,000 youth throughout Alameda county and San Francisco) will accept registration in our Scouting programs based on the gender identified by the family as indicated on an individual's joining application.

For many years, the BSA along with numerous schools, sports and other organizations have ultimately deferred to the information documented on an individual's birth certificate to determine eligibility for our single-gender programs, (Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts).  This approach however is no longer sufficient nor is it applicable across all Councils in the BSA as numerous state laws are interpreting gender identity differently.  Such laws vary widely from state to state; therefore a practice applied by one Council in one state may differ greatly from that of a Council in another state.

The San Francisco Bay Area Council is committed to identifying program options that bring the benefits of Scouting to the greatest number of youth possible. Further, we will do our best to help facilitate Scouting programs that can provide for the welfare and best interest of each child.

As more information becomes available in the days and weeks ahead it will be shared here and in other forums.