NJ 'Moms For Liberty' Member Says Girl Scouts Removed Her As Leader

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A Girl Scout leader in Bergen County said this week that she was removed from her position because of her social media posts.

Alexandra Bougher said on social media, and in local media reports, that she was dismissed in a phone call with members of the council of the Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey, likely because of her posts related to Pride Month events.

Bougher is also the leader of Bergen County's chapter of Moms for Liberty, a politically right-leaning group that advocates for parents' rights. She told NJ.com on Thursday that the action may have come in response to her comment on a Girl Scouts post about Pride Month, in which she said her troop would not participate.

She told the outlet that she wasn't sure which of the posts specifically caused her removal.

She has been a leader for seven years of a Park Ridge-based troop that currently has 30 girls, according to Moms for Liberty.

"Alex has been a troop leader for seven years, during which her own daughter has been a member of the troop," posted Moms for Liberty on Thursday. "She was devastated to receive an unexpected call from the Girl Scouts informing her that she can no longer lead the troop of over 30 young girls. This news meant she would no longer have the opportunity to take them camping, canoeing, performing community service, bonding, and simply enjoying good, wholesome fun together."

They added, "Recently, Alex and members of her New Jersey Chapter of Moms for Liberty expressed their outrage upon discovering a planned event for the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA). This event featured a trans activist—a teenage boy ‘identifying as a girl’—who would lead discussions about sexuality and ‘being transgender’ with Girl Scout troops. Notably, parents were not included in the invitation."

After her removal, Bougher wrote on Facebook:

Moms for Liberty also posted a memo from the Girl Scout Council, saying that if other leaders had questions, they should ask the council.

Patch reached out to the council to confirm the memo, but did not receive a response by press time.

The memo says, "Hi leaders. As some of you may have heard, there was a leader (Alex Bougher) who was removed from Girl Scouts today by GSNNJ Council. This was a council decision...As a reminder, if you have concerns about Girl Scouts in Park Ridge, please voice them responsibly thru our proper channels...We are all volunteers trying to be the best examples we can for our Girl Scouts."

The Controversy

In the same post in which they wrote about Bougher's removal, Moms for Liberty posted a flyer for an event by the Park Ridge Gay Straight Alliance at which a young transgender activist would speak. This led to a commenter believing that "GSA" stood for Girl Scouts of America rather than Park Ridge Gay Straight Alliance — and in fact, one commenter noted that the event took place more than two years ago, in March 2023.

Tensions apparently been simmering in town for several months. A local church that allows the GSA to host events there also has held Girl Scout events. An article in the May newsletter from the United Church of Christ says that a parent picking up a child at a Girl Scout event at the church saw a pride flag and made claims about the church on social media. The church was then "targeted for hate" by different commenters, the story says, and members of the congregation had to contact police because of threats posted on-line.

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