BREAKING: Boy Scouts to Admit Transgender Children

A group of Boy Scouts march during the Salt Lake City’s annual gay pride parade Sunday, June 8, 2014, in Salt Lake City. Utah Pride Festival organizers say they expect this year's parade to be one of the biggest and most vibrant ever as gays and lesbians march for the first time since a federal judge overturned the state's same-sex marriage ban in December. That ruling is on hold, pending a decision from a federal appeals court. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

The Boy Scouts of America will now admit transgender children into its programs, the Associated Press is reporting.

The organization announced Monday that it had made the decision to base enrollment in boys only programs on the gender a child or parent lists on the application to become a scout. The organization had previously held a policy that relied on the gender listed on a child’s birth certificate.

A spokeswoman for the organization said it made the decision based on states and communities changing how gender is defined.

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Last year, an 8-year-old transgender boy joined a Cub Scout pack in Secaucus, New Jersey, and, after the organization received complaints from parents, Joe Maldonado was kicked out. He and his mother then sued the Boy Scouts of America Northern New Jersey Council.

Earlier this month, a spokesperson for the Boy Scouts of America stated that the organization had a non-discrimination policy regarding sexual orientation, but considered gender identification a separate issue.

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