A week after the UK opened membership in the Girl Guides to transgender girls, a few days after the Irish Girl Guides followed suit, and facing a lawsuit over discriminating against New Jersey trans boy, Joe Maldonado, The Boy Scouts of America has announced that it will begin accepting members based on gender identity.

For more than 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America, along with schools, youth sports and other youth organizations, have ultimately deferred to the information on an individual’s birth certificate to determine eligibility for our single-gender programs. However, that approach is no longer sufficient as communities and state laws are interpreting gender identity differently, and these laws vary widely from state to state.

They don't sound so enthusiastic about accepting trans kids.

After weeks of significant conversations at all levels of our organization, we realized that referring to birth certificates as the reference point is no longer sufficient.

--Michael Surbaugh, Scouts CEO

From our perspective, they clearly did the right thing. My team and I knew that they were considering a policy change, but we are both heartened and surprised by how quickly they moved to change the situation.

We want to make sure that they work with experts who have experience with transgender youth and youth programs.

--Zach Wahls, Scouts for Equality

Rex W. Tillerson, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, was involved in getting the organization to accept gay scouts and leaders. He was the national president of the Boy Scouts of America from 2010 to 2011 and served on its executive board in 2013 when it voted to lift the ban on gay scouts.

That decision came after years of reluctance from the organization and a wrenching internal debate that involved threats from some conservative parents and volunteers that they would quit. When the ban on gay leaders was reversed in 2015, the Mormon Church, the largest sponsor of scouting units, briefly threatened to leave the group as well.

The Girl Scouts have allowed transgender girls to be members for several years.