What do you think?
Rate this book
On My Honor: Lesbians Reflect on Their Scouting Experience
Nancy Manahan shattered centuries of taboo when she and Rosemary Curb published the critically acclaimed "Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence". Now, Manahan is back looking at another taboo subject -- the presence of lesbians in the Girl Scouts.
For years, the Girl Scouts, the largest voluntary organization of girls and women in the world, has sent a clear message to the lesbians in its ranks -- stay hidden. Although some lesbian girls and women have felt at home in the world of Girl Scouting, others have endured discrimination and hypocrisy. In spite of the fact that its mission is the empowerment of girls, the organization has devalued and disempowered many of its adult volunteers and professional staff, as well as its young members, because it subscribes to the larger society's entrenched fear of homosexuality.
That gap between the Girl Scouts' professed values and actual practice can be painfully wide. Despite a policy of nondiscrimination, the organization that has launched so many young women into productive lives as activists, innovators and leaders practices de facto "don't ask, don't tell", similar to the present policy of the United States military -- a practice that ignores scouting's own core values and beliefs.
On My Honor: Lesbians Reflect on Their Scouting Experience is the first book to explore the contributions lesbians have made to Girl Scouting, the impact scouting has had on lesbians, and some of the problems undermining this relationship.
For years, the Girl Scouts, the largest voluntary organization of girls and women in the world, has sent a clear message to the lesbians in its ranks -- stay hidden. Although some lesbian girls and women have felt at home in the world of Girl Scouting, others have endured discrimination and hypocrisy. In spite of the fact that its mission is the empowerment of girls, the organization has devalued and disempowered many of its adult volunteers and professional staff, as well as its young members, because it subscribes to the larger society's entrenched fear of homosexuality.
That gap between the Girl Scouts' professed values and actual practice can be painfully wide. Despite a policy of nondiscrimination, the organization that has launched so many young women into productive lives as activists, innovators and leaders practices de facto "don't ask, don't tell", similar to the present policy of the United States military -- a practice that ignores scouting's own core values and beliefs.
On My Honor: Lesbians Reflect on Their Scouting Experience is the first book to explore the contributions lesbians have made to Girl Scouting, the impact scouting has had on lesbians, and some of the problems undermining this relationship.
- GenresLGBTNonfictionQueer
261 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
11 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Manahan
5 books6 followersRetired college English teacher who has lived in Ghana, France, Costa Rica, Mexico, and the US. My ground-breaking best-seller Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence was published in 8 languages and 11 countries.
My wife, author Becky Bohan, and I split our time between Minnesota and Florida.
My wife, author Becky Bohan, and I split our time between Minnesota and Florida.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 8, 2014
I enjoyed reading the experiences of older Girl Scout lesbians. I'm also thankful for the work many of them did to make life easier for me at the time and girls currently.
June 28, 2015
Even though I was three years old when this book was published in 1997, I was amazed by how closely my experiences often mirrored those described by women who came of age during the 1960s and 70s.
June 29, 2025
I think people see the title of this book and expect something salacious when it's anything but. This is truly one of the most wholesome books about Girl Scouts I have ever read. It is almost entirely just women talking about how Girl Scouts gave them the opportunity to have agency and engage in activities usually not acceptable for young girls. Also there's one account about how these two women met as volunteers at Our Chalet in Switzerland and they're married in Vermont now and aaaaa I'm not crying you're crying.
The accounts of discrimination against lesbian members is particularly interesting, in part because both of the accounts of women being dismissed from their jobs in Girl Scouts were dismissed by other lesbians. You get the impression from this book that in the late twentieth century, the Girl Scouts were simultaneously disproportionally staffed by lesbians but with the understanding that no one be too out lest the Girl Scouts be branded a lesbian organization.
As GSUSA stated in 1998: "we do not recruit lesbians as a group".
The accounts of discrimination against lesbian members is particularly interesting, in part because both of the accounts of women being dismissed from their jobs in Girl Scouts were dismissed by other lesbians. You get the impression from this book that in the late twentieth century, the Girl Scouts were simultaneously disproportionally staffed by lesbians but with the understanding that no one be too out lest the Girl Scouts be branded a lesbian organization.
As GSUSA stated in 1998: "we do not recruit lesbians as a group".
May 27, 2025
As a topic for a book, I was not surprised to discover that there was plenty of content - even several decades ago - that could fill a book. What I was surprised to discover, though, was that there were women that were interested in talking about their experiences as lesbians in Girl Scouting nearly three decades ago. At the time, I was working at summer camps for Girl Scouting in the midwest, and I of course knew quite a few of my co-staff were lesbians or actively questioning. Within the staff group, they were usually out, mostly as a consideration to others on staff, but we were not publicizing it to parents or campers at all. How brave for the women in this book, who were troop leaders, camp counselors, service unit volunteers, and council staff, to share their stories back then, knowing that there may be some backlash, personally or professionally. I'm glad this book exists.
May 6, 2018
A collection of memoirs that I give 5 stars to, because of its importance as a cultural and even historical document. Good work by Nancy Manahan pulling the project together and making it HAPPEN!
February 21, 2009
"there are lesbians everywhere" Victoria A. Brownworth says. I won't argue about it. I may not feel confortable with this kind of reading, but I want to understand this [issue:].
This book me asombró when I read "Hiding is never good, the closet is an increasiling dangerous place..." suggesting and encouraging lesbian to go step out and be proud of who they are.
This book me asombró when I read "Hiding is never good, the closet is an increasiling dangerous place..." suggesting and encouraging lesbian to go step out and be proud of who they are.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews