Eastlake — When the Boy Scouts of America dropped the word "Boy" from its flagship program to be more inclusive, the Girl Scouts had a problem with that.
This week they sued the Boy Scouts.
Girls Scouts of the USA told us they aren't commenting on pending litigation.
What we really wanted to know anyway is what does it all mean? What does the lawsuit mean for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts in Northeast Ohio? What does it mean for their parents and their leaders?
Well we found a dad who is an assistant scout master with a Boy Scout son and a Girl Scout daughter who will be joining Boy Scouts in February.
Here is how he sees it all: First of all, what we are talking about is a "trademark infringement lawsuit" by Girl Scouts against Boy Scouts.
"To me that means that someone thinks we are stealing their words," says Paul Parrish. He’s an Assistant Scout Master for his 13-year-old son Stephen's Boy Scout troop in Mentor.
"The boy scouts aren't changing their name. It's still Boy Scouts of America,” Parrish said.
As Parrish explains it, the Boy Scouts dropped the word "Boy" from the Boy Scout level of their programs as BSA started welcoming more girls to join.
"That's where they are all scouts at that level," says Parrish.
The intention, then, according to Boy Scouts was that the word 'scouts' would be safe for both boys and girls at that level in scouting.
Girl Scouts of the USA said, “No thank you," and sued.
They sent us a statement that reads in part, "We did what any brand, company corporation or organization would do to protect its intellectual property… and to defend its good name."
The way Parrish sees it, "I think the Girl Scouts see it as a membership grab. Both program’s numbers have declined since the 70's."
But the lawsuit claims dropping Boy from *Boy* Scouts, would cause confusion among the public, damage the goodwill of Girl Scouts trademarks, and erode its core brand identity.
"I'm sure they just use the term 'scouts' like we do. It’s all the same. I don't see how it hurts either brand one way or the other," says Parrish.
According to the lawsuit, omitting “Boy” also "marginalizes" the Girl Scouts Movement.
Parrish disagrees.
"No that's not what is happening. Girls can now join Boy Scouts but Girl Scouts still exist. They are still doing their thing."
And how about this factoid from Parrish? Since 1976, girls 14-21 year old were already allowed in Boy Scouts of America in the "Venturing" level.
Now it's 2018 with all this controversy over the level before “Venturing” called "Boy Scouts," now "Scouts" to include girls.