At the end of January, the Boy Scouts of America began registering and accepting transgender boys. This welcome change was put in place after a nine year old boy from New Jersey was kicked out of the Boy Scouts because he was transgender. Once leaders and parents complained about the boy, Joe Maldonado, he was asked to leave his Cub Scout pack. 

Since the change has been put in place, Maldonado has returned to being a Cub Scout. Katie Couric sat down with Maldonado to discuss the changes that have been brought about with the Boy Scouts of America. The interview, featured on Yahoo News, can be watched below. 

 

Although he was invited back to his original Cub Scout pack, Maldonado’s mother felt uncomfortable sending him back to the original pack that discriminated against her child and instead her son has joined a nearby pack. 

“She is also considering whether to pursue legal action against the North New Jersey Council of Boy Scouts, despite the change in national policy,” according to Yahoo News. “She said, ‘Because I feel like they still discriminated against my kid. They threw him out.'”

Maldonado will continue to be an inspiration for transgender children and pave the way for even more transgender boys to join the Boy Scouts. 

Featured image via CBS News