Girls fight for right to join local Boy Scouts troop
Girls fighting to be Boy Scouts! Tonight at 5:00 - why they say the group should be open to everyone and how the Boy Scouts are responding.What do you think the Boy Scouts of America organization should do?
Posted by WISN 12 NEWS on Thursday, November 12, 2015
A group of girls in Santa Rosa, California are fighting back after being told they were not allowed to be Cub Scouts.
The six girls, called the Unicorns, were allegedly told by the Boy Scouts of America that joining their local boy scout troop would be "inappropriate," one of the girls' mothers, Danelle Jacobs, told ABC News.
%shareLinks-quote="Cub Scouts are targeted at boys age 7 to 10 years old. Meanwhile, Boy Scouts cater to 11 to 18-year-old boys. " type="spreadWord"%
Jacobs said her 10-year-old daughter Ella felt more comfortable tagging along with her brother at his Cub Scout events than she did at Girl Scouts. The mother said her daughter enjoyed it more because of the "activities that are more robust."
Looking for a "better fit" for her daughter, Jacobs discovered a coed program called, "Learning for Life" founded by the Boy Scouts, which allowed the girls to participate alongside the boys.
%shareLinks-quote="They were earning different patches but doing the same things and so that was great." type="quote" author="Danelle Jacobs" authordesc="Mother" isquoteoftheday="false"%
The girls were just like Cub Scouts and were approved to attend every age appropriate event, that is, until one of the parents complained.
Despite the countless pack meeting and camping trips the girls attended, the one parent's complaint sent it all away. At an Oct. 1 meeting, the families were told the young girls could no longer participate.
%shareLinks-quote="They said things like it was completely inappropriate and girls would take over all of the leadership positions ... What would be inappropriate is lost on me." type="quote" author="Danelle Jacobs" authordesc="Mother" isquoteoftheday="false"%
In a statement released to ABC News, the Boy Scouts of America stated that it was recently made aware that a local troop was not following proper eligibility rules:
We understand that the values and the lessons of Scouting are attractive to the entire family," the Boy Scouts of America said. "However, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts are year-round programs for boys and young men in the first grade through age 18. Local Scouting leadership welcomes the opportunity to discuss BSA policies with the families involved, as well as potential alternative programs available.
The Unicorns are planning on handing in official applications to be Cub Scouts at future meeting.
Watch this 10-year-old girl thank Boy Scouts for saving her life:
More from AOL.com:
Heartwarming photo captures elderly man teaching young stranger how to tie a tie
Watch this incredible skating bulldog set a new world record
Elderly couple calls police because they are 'lonely'
