Boy Scouts of America is suing an LGBTQ travel company called Queer Scout, alleging that the company's name and fox logo create confusion with the organization, The Arizona Republic reported.
The Boy Scouts and Queer Scout have been trying to resolve the trademark dispute for years, the news outlet said.
Queer Scout founder Sam Holdren said he believes the Trump administration's pressure on the Boy Scouts to crack down on the youth organization's LGBTQ policies led to the suit.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth vowed to cut funding for the Boy Scouts if the organization didn't ditch its "insidious, radical woke ideology," which led Boy Scouts to dissolve its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts about the time the suit was filed.
"We're a small LGBTQ-owned travel company for adults, and our name clearly signals we're not affiliated with Scouting America or any youth scouting organization," Holdren told the news outlet.
"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," Holdren added.
Boy Scouts spokesperson Scott Armstrong told the Republic there was no connection between the lawsuit and the agreement with the Department of War.
The dispute was over "trademark [and] intellectual property, nothing more," Armstrong said.
Holdren, who lives part time in Arizona, initially tried to trademark Queer Scout in January 2024, which the Boy Scouts opposed, the Republic reported.
His attorney offered to clarify that the target consumers for Queer Scout are LGBTQ adults, but the Boy Scouts rejected the offer.
Holdren said the suit is bigger than a trademark dispute.
"This is about ... whether we can express ourselves freely in the marketplace. They're trying to use the law to silence us and take away our visibility," Holdren told the Republic.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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