Scouting America, the Irving-based youth organization formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America, filed a federal lawsuit in late February against Queer Scout, a small Arizona-founded LGBTQ+ travel company, alleging its name and logo could mislead consumers into believing it is affiliated with the century-old scouting movement.
The suit targets Queer Scout's parent company, Toro International LLC, accusing it of diluting Scouting America's trademarks and falsely implying an organizational connection. Scouting America also argues in the filing that it offers "similar" services to Queer Scout and objects to the company's use of animal imagery - a pink fox - noting that Scouting America "prominently uses names and images of animal figures" in its own branding.
Queer Scout was founded by Sam Castañeda Holdren in the Phoenix area and operates adult LGBTQ+ travel experiences in Medellín, Colombia, including bar crawls and curated cultural tours. Holdren says the name was adopted from a defunct Colombia-based business and that nothing about the branding suggests ties to youth scouting.
The dispute actually traces back to January 2024, when Toro International attempted to register the Queer Scout trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, triggering an opposition from Scouting America. According to Holdren's attorney, Jeremy Kapteyn, the sides came close to a settlement - he offered written clarification that Queer Scout exclusively targets LGBTQ+ adults - but Scouting America rejected the proposal roughly a year ago, arguing its own inclusivity policies already covered that demographic.
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The lawsuit arrived during a politically turbulent month for Scouting America. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly criticized the organization in February over its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, and threatened to end the Pentagon's long-standing partnership with the group. Days later, Scouting America agreed to concessions - including eliminating DEI programs - to preserve that relationship.
Holdren said the timing raises questions about what's driving the legal action. Scouting America spokesperson Scott Armstrong pushed back, telling The Arizona Republic the case is strictly about trademark and intellectual property, and denied any connection to the Pentagon dispute.
The case is ongoing.