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I'm an Eagle Scout. It's still an excellent organization, despite the trouble it's going through at the moment. It's the reason I got into /out/ activities to begin with. There's so much more to it than just camping though. Having a structured, formative group where you can learn to lead your peers is a huge part of it. If you can, join a troop that makes it clear that they are "Scout Run" - these tend to be the best. In some poor cases there can be troops where the adult leaders do everything, as if it were still the Cub Scouts. In a "Scout Run" troop the older scouts and Eagle scouts are encouraged to stick around and lead the troop, help out their peers, which is exactly how the organization is intended to be run. Forget all the hate, the BSA is a great organization. It was one of the most formative organizations in my life, as a matter of fact. Just make sure you search around a bit to find the troop that's right for you. You could even join the BSA as a "Lone Scout" and enlist a few of your buddies to form a small troop on your own, that's another option.
And no, the trannies, all-girl troops, etc are far and few between. It's still the same organization despite the more PC entry requirements, and luckily this bankruptcy they're experiencing is forcing the national organization to do some long overdue restructuring.
