On October 11, a dangerous decision was made by the executive scoutmasters of the Boy Scouts of America. Starting next year, girls will be able to join the ranks of boys in Cub Scouting and eventually Boy Scouting.

This decision sets a precedent for conformity in the age of political correctness.

There’s an old adage that says, “Why fix something if it is not broke?” The leaders of the Boy Scouts are just showing their true greedy colors with membership in the organization at an all-time low.

One of the biggest critics of this decision has been the Girl Scouts of the United States of America. Girl Scouts National Board President Kathy Hopinkah Hannan called the Boy Scouts’ plan “unsettling,” while also adding that “it would only serve to undercut the Girl Scouts” and “that a co-ed model goes against research supporting single gender programming.”

As an outsider, one may not realize the significance in such a decision being made, but as an Eagle Scout, the coveted prize and highest rank for Boy Scouts to achieve, the decision is upsetting.

For 13 years, I personally worked toward my Eagle Scout. The beauty of Boy Scouting was that it provided a place for me and many other young men to come together once a week to learn invaluable life lessons, such as outdoor skills, civic engagement, community service and volunteer work.

Now, although girls, as proven with the Girl Scouts, are capable of excelling in these same areas, the outcome is much better when done with a single sex. We could all agree that the way young boys and girls act around the same sex is much different than us adults do.

For many, the years spent in scouting are important towards development, maturity and understanding for boys. For many boys, the weekly scout meetings are the only chance they have to communicate and interact with other boys of similar interest. Allowing girls not only takes away from this much needed time among other boys, but inhibits them from growing and maturing.

The Boy Scouts have been producing model citizens for decades. Again, “Why fix something if it is not broke?”

Last year, after much pressure from outside groups, the Boy Scouts allowed the integration of homosexual youth and leadership into its ranks. This decision is speculated to have caused the decrease in recruitment and the reasoning for allowing girls in the ranks.

While this landmark decision shows the good that scout executives are capable of, allowing girls into the Boy Scouts is unwise and crosses the ugly line of political correctness.

The Boy Scouts has always been first and foremost for boys, and therefore should be kept for the boys.