The Girl Scouts of America deleted a social media post on its official Twitter and Facebook pages Wednesday evening congratulating Amy Coney Barrett on her appointment to the Supreme Court, Fox News informed.
The original post, shared by FOX 6 Milwaukee political reporter Jason Calvi, included the caption: “Congratulations Amy Coney Barrett on becoming the 5th woman appointed to the Supreme Court since its inception in 1789” ending with an emoji of hands raised up.
The post featured an image of Barrett; her two Supreme Court colleagues, associate justices Elena Kagen and Sonia Sotomayor; former associate justice Sandra Day O’Connor; and the late associate justice and Barrett’s predecessor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The move quickly faced swift backlash from critics and lawmakers, with Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., tweeting, “What kind of patch does one earn for uplifting a woman who is the antithesis of justice?”
Another Twitter user, a “life-time Girl Scout”, said she was “ashamed” of the post.
“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,” she added.
In a statement released by the Girl Scouts, the organization said the post was “quickly viewed as a political and partisan statement,” which was not its original intent.
“Girl Scouts of the USA is a nonpolitical, nonpartisan organization,” the statement added. “We are neither red nor blue, but Girl Scout GREEN. We are here to lift up girls and women.”
In a statement released by the Girl Scouts, the organization said the post was “quickly viewed as a political and partisan statement,” which was not its original intent.
“Girl Scouts of the USA is a nonpolitical, nonpartisan organization,” the statement added. “We are neither red nor blue, but Girl Scout GREEN. We are here to lift up girls and women.”
One of the more than 4,000 replies to the post said she would take her business elsewhere, saying, “I’m going to spend my $100 Girl Scout Cookie budget on ingredients to make my own next year.”
Noah Michelson, editorial director of HuffPost Personal, argued in a Facebook post that there was “no requirement that we celebrate someone as a hero to women simply because she identifies as a woman, especially when the thing she did was actually done for her by a gang of disgraceful goons and when she is poised to destroy the lives of so many people.”
Some commenters also offered praise for the post, with one woman on Facebook writing, “Girl Scouts, thank you for celebrating ALL women and showing us there is a place at the table for those with ALL different sorts of values. Practicing what you’re preaching, right here. It’s very nice to see.”
Another woman wrote, “I’m glad to see the organization support all women both liberal and conservative!”
One conservative woman pointed out that she didn’t “trash the Girl Scouts when I didn’t agree with things that were against my beliefs.”
“When other conservatives trashed Girl Scouts for leftist ideas, I defended it,” she added. “Now I see it being trashed by the so called tolerant left for uplifting a female to the Supreme Court. That is disappointing. Those of you bashing the organization, please remember there are conservatives that support Girl Scouts too. I was grateful to see the post in support of WOMEN, regardless of who they are.”
Even one of Barrett’s critics saw no issue.
“As much as I dislike this particular woman and deplore the political hypocrisy that allowed her to be in such respected company, GSUSA is completely right to recognize her,” the commenter wrote. “Well done. It could not have been easy.”
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