The Girl Scouts will participate at Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday, marching in the inaugural parade in celebration of the country's 45th president.
The Boy Scouts also will participate, according to an official list of participants released Tuesday, which includes the Talladega College Band from Alabama, the New York Military Academy, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the Marist College Band of New York.
The Girl Scouts’ participation in the inaugural parade may come as a surprise to those who didn’t appreciate the president-elect’s controversial comments toward women, which leaked during the latter part of his campaign run.
Despite the reactions to the Girl Scouts’ decision, the organization says participating in the inauguration has always been a tradition and they intend to uphold that.
Girl Scouts of the USA released a statement on Facebook: "Thank you for your feedback. As you know, for 100 years, Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital has participated in the presidential inauguration. The event is an important symbol of our democracy and the peaceful transition of power. Girl Scouts will participate in this historic event because at Girl Scouts, civic engagement, responsibility and duty are at the heart of our values and ideals."
Wednesday, former Girl Scout Jean Hannah Edelstein shared her thoughts on the organization’s decision to march in the inaugural parade for Trump.
“I resigned from Girl Scouts more than 20 years ago, but yesterday I realized that the people who told me I’d always be a scout at heart were right: the news that the Girl Scouts are sending a contingent to participate in Donald Trump’s inauguration filled me with real rage,” Edelstein wrote for The Guardian.