Girl Scouts Gone Wild

I’ve seen more than a few boxes of Do-Si-Dos and Samoas around lately. It’s hard to look askance at the Girl Scouts when there’s so much sweetness in the air, but there is reason for keeping the Girl Scouts out of the “mom and apple pie” pantheon. For one thing, the organization has a think tank, a nongovernmental organization, and a welcome mat out to Planned Parenthood.

At a meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women this month, the World Association of Girl Scouts and Girl Guides held a session for young people in which the International Planned Parenthood Federation reportedly distributed a brochure about living with HIV titled “Healthy, Happy and Hot.” (Gratitude to U.N. watchdogs like C-FAM for keeping an eye out for such nefarious nonsense.)

The brochure sets itself up as a feel-good guide for dangerous behavior: “Young people living with HIV may feel that sex is just not an option, but don’t worry — many young people living with HIV live healthy, fun, happy and sexually fulfilling lives. You can, too, if you want to! Things get easier (and sex can get even better) as you become more comfortable with your status.”