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Girl Scouts of America delete tweet congratulating Amy Coney Barrett after huge backlash for 'tone-deaf' post

Girl Scouts of the USA later clarified: “We are neither red nor blue, but Girl Scout GREEN. We are here to lift up girls and women.”

The Girls Scouts of America is under the scanner for a congratulatory post for conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett after her controversial appointment to the Supreme Court. On Wednesday, October 28, 2020 night, the group deleted social media posts after it sparked much fury online. Their now-deleted Twitter and Facebook post read with an emoji of hands raised up: “Congratulations Amy Coney Barrett on becoming the 5th woman appointed to the Supreme Court since its inception in 1789.”

After the backlash, the group clarified their stance and posted, “Earlier today, we shared a post highlighting the five women who have been appointed to the Supreme Court. It was quickly viewed as a political and partisan statement which was not our intent and we have removed the post.” The tweet also read, “Girl Scouts of the USA is a nonpolitical, nonpartisan organization. We are neither red nor blue, but Girl Scout GREEN. We are here to lift up girls and women.”

However, the damage was done. Many Twitter users shared the screenshot of their old post which featured an image showing photos of Barrett and the only four other women who have served as justices on the high court, including Ruth Bader Ginsburg. On Facebook, it was shared with a note saying, “Girl Scouts of the USA is a nonpolitical, nonpartisan organization. We are neither red nor blue, but Girl Scout GREEN. We are here to lift up girls and women.”
 
Even as Girl Scouts explained their stance, it didn't stop women from targetting them and talking about how Barrett is a threat to the Obamacare health law, abortion rights and LGBT rights because of her conservative judicial philosophy. "This tracks. In June, the Girl Scouts asked me to be in a panel and I pointed out it was entirely white. They were aware and explained that “history isn’t my wheelhouse.” Welp you found me and two other white women historians soooooo," one tweet read and another said, "Somebody tell the girl scouts that you cannot stand for all girls if some of those girls want to take away the rights of other girls."

"You @girlscouts are weak and your actions to cave into these minuscule small-minded leftists is an embarrassment - shame on you and not an example to be set for young girls who should aspire to be brave like the women on the Supreme Court. Sad," one tweet read and another said, "Nothing screams misogyny like the Girl Scouts congratulating a woman recently appointed to the Supreme Court. More like the BOY Scouts...am I right?" A third chimed in, "Such a tone deaf post by the Girl Scouts. Now I know I can get off-brand year-round... efff. There’s an Aldi down the street from me."

"I have the exact opposite criticism, in that the Girl Scouts’ leadership’s attempt to celebrate any advancement by any woman, simply because she’s a woman, resulted in the tone-deaf championing of a woman who has dedicated her life to the disempowerment of others," a fourth wrote and a fifth posted, "In 2004, my daughter was kicked out of Girl Scouts for being autistic. She just “didn’t fit in”. Their tone deaf tweets do not surprise me at all. It’s just another organization pretending to be about female empowerment. #GirlScouts."

Another tweet read: "As a life-time Girl Scout, I am ASHAMED that this is on our org's Twitter. I already felt uneasy as a trans person in this organization, but now I really understand that with this message that Girl Scouts really does not support me or my trans/LGBTQ siblings."