Boy Scouts sue LGBTQ travel group ‘Queer Scout’ over its name

An Arizona-based LGBTQ+ travel company is being sued by Scouting America, formerly the Boy Scouts of America, over its name and logo.

Queer Scout, which offers tours and other experiences for vacationers in Medellín, Colombia, was hit with the lawsuit in late February.

The company, which uses an image of a pink fox for its logo, was accused of “diluting Boy Scouts’ famous trademarks and falsely associating with Boy Scouts,” according to the court filing, which was seen by The Arizona Republic.

Scouting America also alleged in the lawsuit that it offers “similar” services and “prominently uses names and images of animal figures” in its branding.

The development came during a tumultuous month for relations between the Trump administration and Scouting America, which receives support from the military.

In early February, Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesperson, took to X to say that Scouting America was “on the clock” after allegedly embracing “social justice, gender-fluid ideological stances.”

Parnell added that the Department of Defense could only “continue” its partnership with Scouting America if it introduced “common-sense, core value reforms.”

Later in the month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that the youth organization had been “gravely wounded” by “diversity, equity and inclusion” initiatives. The former Fox & Friends host added that he had been “seriously considering” pulling all support for Scouting America.

In the same video, Hegseth claimed that the organization had agreed to base membership “solely on biological sex.”

Sam Holdren, Queer Scout’s founder, told The Arizona Republic that he had questioned the timing of Scouting America’s legal action against his company, amid Hegseth’s criticism of the organization in February.

“When you combine that timing with the fact that hundreds of businesses have used the word ‘scout,’ it starts to look less like consumer confusion and more like something broader involving identity and visibility,” he said.

“It raises legitimate questions about what’s really driving this escalation,” Holdren added.

In a statement given to The Independent, Holdren said that Queer Scout clearly marketed itself to adult LGBTQ+ customers.

“We’re a small LGBTQ-owned travel company serving adult travelers,” he said. “It’s difficult to see how anyone could realistically confuse an LGBTQ tourism brand called ‘Queer Scout’ with a youth scouting organization.”

The Queer Scout website details a range of experiences on offer, including a “Medellín Rooftop Bar Crawl” and “Colombia gay tour experiences.”

Holdren told The Republic that the Queer Scout name was taken from a Colombian-based company that went out of business.

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However, Scouting America spokesperson Scott Armstrong told the same publication that there was no connection between the youth group’s new deal with the Pentagon and the lawsuit against Queer Scout.

Armstrong added that the dispute with Queer Scout was centered around a “trademark” and “intellectual property, nothing more.”

The dispute stretches back to January 2024, according to court documents detailing a disagreement over Holdren’s company, Toro International LLC, trying to register the Queer Scout trademark.

Jeremy Kapteyn, an attorney for Toro International, told The Republic that he had offered to clarify to Scouting America that Queer Scout’s target market was LGBTQ+ adults.

According to him, the youth organization was “initially receptive” but rejected the proposal around a year ago.

“They noted that the BSA had a policy of inclusivity that would encompass Toro’s target market for its services,” Kapteyn added.

Scouting America told The Independent that it does not comment on active legislation.

The Independent has also contacted Jeremy Kapteyn for comment.