Parents’ fury as Beaver Scouts as young as six are asked to define their gender
SCOUTS as young as six are being asked to define their gender.
Parents are questioned in the annual census of Beaver Scout members — boys and girls aged six to eight.
Options are “male, female, I self-identify” or “I prefer not to say”.
But angry mums and dads and MPs slammed the move as inappropriate.
One parent said: “It frustrated me that children can’t be free from this. It’s simply wrong. They need to have their childhood and just enjoy it.”
Another said: “It’s bonkers, they’re just kids. They’re not interested in gender — they just want to build campfires. It’s being forced upon them.”
And Tory MP Nigel Mills branded it “unacceptable”.
He added: “This is Beaver Scouts, it’s about children growing up and life experiences. That should not be interrupted with woke nonsense.”
In 2017, Scout leaders were told to stop calling kids “boys” and “girls” — and use phrases such as “hello everybody” instead.
The Scouts said: “Every year Scouts takes a census of membership. This information is vital for supporting members.
“The census asks for the same questions no matter what your age.”