Katie Couric Interviews First Openly Transgender Boy Scout

@ 2026 Equal Entertainment LLC.
All rights reserved

 
        Katie Couric Interviews First Openly Transgender Boy Scout
      Katie Couric and Joe Maldonado discuss the journey from being kicked out of the Boy Scouts to ultimate acceptance.
 
 Allison Tate 
          
          Feb 10, 2017
          
Allison Tate
Allison Tate is the Director of Editorial Video at Pride Media, and creates videos for The Advocate, OUT and PRIDE. She is a filmmaker, swing dancer, and enthusiastic Carol fan who works to amplify marginalized voices in media. 
 See Full Bio   
                  Follow:
                   Allison Tate on X
  
Video Courtesy of Yahoo News.
 
        FROM OUR SPONSORS
        
        The Latest
        
National 
        Masculinity-obsessed Pete Hegseth gets yelled at about discipline by Arlington Army guard who looks the part
      The rebuke at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier came just a day after House Republicans derailed an effort to impeach the Pentagon chief.
 
Christopher Wiggins
 
Advocacy 
        LGBTQ+ veterans deserve more than a thank you. These groups deliver for them
      These eight organizations help LGBTQ+ veterans and service members access healthcare, secure benefits, and find community while fighting for their rights.
 
Jacob Ogles
 
Transgender Health 
        'Transition regret' is extremely rare, according to study
      Researchers evaluated self-reported surveys submitted by the cohort between 2023 and 2025, which concluded that “overall decisional regret was very low.”
 
Quispe López
 
Elections 
        Florida voters elect Republican who marched with neo-Nazis in Charlottesville
      Marshall Rawson won a state House seat after reporting exposed his white nationalist ties and posts cheering possible death sentences for gay men in Uganda.
 
Jacob Ogles

 
        More For You
        
        Trump’s Medicaid cuts are already hurting trans teens, New Hampshire families tell judge
     
Edgar Ramirez
 Nov 11, 2026 
Transgender rights supporters rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on December 04, 2024 in Washington, DC.

        Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
    
        Four transgender girls and their families in New Hampshire are asking a federal judge to pause a Trump administration rule that cuts federal Medicaid funding for most gender-affirming treatments for minors while their legal challenge proceeds. Keep Reading → 
 
        Rachel Maddow warns of ‘profound, dangerous, life-threatening harm’ behind GOP’s anti-trans politics
     
Christopher Wiggins
 Nov 11, 2026 
MS NOW anchor Rachel Maddow warns that scapegoating trans people is profoundly dangers on Pablo Torre Finds Out.

        Pablo Torre Finds Out/YouTube
    
        Rachel Maddow called the Republican campaign against transgender athletes “repulsive,” warning that its dangers extend well beyond Election Day, both for the people it targets and for a country being encouraged to turn against them. Keep Reading → 
 
        Republicans bet everything on anti-trans messaging. It didn’t pay off
     
Brooke Migdon - The 19Th
Orion Rummler, the 19th
 Nov 10, 2026 
Supporters react during a midterm election night watch party for James Talarico on November 3, 2026 in Austin, Texas

        Brandon Bell/Getty Images
    
        This story was originally reported by Brooke Migdon and Orion Rummler of The 19th. Meet Brooke and Orion and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. Keep Reading → 
 
        Pete Hegseth declared himself safe from impeachment. Then came eight charges
     
Christopher Wiggins
 Nov 09, 2026 
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (L) and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller attend the Halloween at the White House event on October 29, 2026, in Washington, DC. 

        Finn Gomez/Getty Images
    
        On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told transgender Americans they were unfit to serve their country. He described his own leadership in considerably more generous terms: strength restored, weakness banished, a military rebuilt. Anyone seeking his removal, he assured viewers, would fail. Keep Reading → 
 
        Alabama’s book censorship doesn’t stop at the children’s section. Now, authors are suing
     
Jacob Ogles
 Nov 09, 2026 
Selma Dallas County Public Library in Selma, Alabama, on July 8, 2018. 

        Raymond Boyd/Getty Images
    
        Three queer writers sued Alabama’s state library board over restrictions that threaten libraries’ state funding if they acquire books marketed to minors that feature transgender characters even for their adult sections. Keep Reading → 
 
        Most Popular
        
States 
        Doug Jones’ gay son pens heartwarming note after his dad’s election loss: ‘You fought the good fight’
      In a deeply personal tribute, Carson Jones reflected on the people in Alabama the Democratic gubernatorial candidate reached, the hope he offered, and the work others can carry forward.
 
Edgar Ramirez
 
News 
        Cop tells 15-year-old he’d be ‘glad’ to jail him, then calls the boy an antigay slur. It’s all on video
      Monongahela Police Chief Kevin Harris says the officer regrets his conduct. Residents want consequences.
 
Jacob Ogles
 
Politics 
        Cindy Hyde-Smith blocked Scott Colom from becoming a judge for being pro-trans. Now, he might take her Senate seat
      The Republican seat might not be in danger if Scott Colom had been allowed to become a judge.
 
Mathew Rodriguez
 
Politics 
        The creator of VeggieTales says God being nonbinary is backed by the Bible
      “If you believe the eternal God, creator of the universe, is a male (or female) of a gendered species, you have departed from Christian orthodoxy,” Phil Vischer wrote.
 
Quispe López
 
States 
        Atlanta approves demolition of home where a gay man’s arrest changed LGBTQ+ history
      Michael Hardwick’s 1982 arrest at the house for having sex with another man sparked a Supreme Court battle.
 
Edgar Ramirez
 
Elections 
        Rainbow Wave 2026: See all the LGBTQ+ midterm election winners
      In addition to Senator-elect Chris Pappas, voters sent several out candidates to Washington, D.C., as well as state houses across America.
 
Dawn Ennis

Site Navigation

Katie Couric Interviews First Openly Transgender Boy Scout

Katie Couric and Joe Maldonado discuss the journey from being kicked out of the Boy Scouts to ultimate acceptance.

The Latest

Masculinity-obsessed Pete Hegseth gets yelled at about discipline by Arlington Army guard who looks the part

The rebuke at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier came just a day after House Republicans derailed an effort to impeach the Pentagon chief.

LGBTQ+ veterans deserve more than a thank you. These groups deliver for them

These eight organizations help LGBTQ+ veterans and service members access healthcare, secure benefits, and find community while fighting for their rights.

'Transition regret' is extremely rare, according to study

Researchers evaluated self-reported surveys submitted by the cohort between 2023 and 2025, which concluded that “overall decisional regret was very low.”

Florida voters elect Republican who marched with neo-Nazis in Charlottesville

Marshall Rawson won a state House seat after reporting exposed his white nationalist ties and posts cheering possible death sentences for gay men in Uganda.

Sustain fearless LGBTQ+ journalism.

Scott Colom defeats Cindy Hyde-Smith, who blocked his judgeship over trans rights

Sarah McBride didn’t give them the fight they wanted. She won anyway

After Trump’s military ban, this nonbinary 11-year Air Force veteran found a new mission at Harvard

Back-to-back losses for New York GOP candidate as court overturns his ban on trans athletes

Trump’s transgender ban pushed her out of the military. Her Virginia community just elected her to lead

More For You

Trump’s Medicaid cuts are already hurting trans teens, New Hampshire families tell judge

Rachel Maddow warns of ‘profound, dangerous, life-threatening harm’ behind GOP’s anti-trans politics

Republicans bet everything on anti-trans messaging. It didn’t pay off

Pete Hegseth declared himself safe from impeachment. Then came eight charges

Alabama’s book censorship doesn’t stop at the children’s section. Now, authors are suing

Most Popular

Doug Jones’ gay son pens heartwarming note after his dad’s election loss: ‘You fought the good fight’

In a deeply personal tribute, Carson Jones reflected on the people in Alabama the Democratic gubernatorial candidate reached, the hope he offered, and the work others can carry forward.

Cop tells 15-year-old he’d be ‘glad’ to jail him, then calls the boy an antigay slur. It’s all on video

Monongahela Police Chief Kevin Harris says the officer regrets his conduct. Residents want consequences.

Cindy Hyde-Smith blocked Scott Colom from becoming a judge for being pro-trans. Now, he might take her Senate seat

The Republican seat might not be in danger if Scott Colom had been allowed to become a judge.

The creator of VeggieTales says God being nonbinary is backed by the Bible

“If you believe the eternal God, creator of the universe, is a male (or female) of a gendered species, you have departed from Christian orthodoxy,” Phil Vischer wrote.

Atlanta approves demolition of home where a gay man’s arrest changed LGBTQ+ history

Michael Hardwick’s 1982 arrest at the house for having sex with another man sparked a Supreme Court battle.

Rainbow Wave 2026: See all the LGBTQ+ midterm election winners

In addition to Senator-elect Chris Pappas, voters sent several out candidates to Washington, D.C., as well as state houses across America.

Latest Stories

Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in your inbox five days a week.

Katie Couric Interviews First Openly Transgender Boy Scout

Katie Couric and Joe Maldonado discuss the journey from being kicked out of the Boy Scouts to ultimate acceptance.

FROM OUR SPONSORS

The Latest

The rebuke at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier came just a day after House Republicans derailed an effort to impeach the Pentagon chief.

These eight organizations help LGBTQ+ veterans and service members access healthcare, secure benefits, and find community while fighting for their rights.

Researchers evaluated self-reported surveys submitted by the cohort between 2023 and 2025, which concluded that “overall decisional regret was very low.”

Marshall Rawson won a state House seat after reporting exposed his white nationalist ties and posts cheering possible death sentences for gay men in Uganda.

Sustain fearless LGBTQ+ journalism.

More For You

Most Popular

In a deeply personal tribute, Carson Jones reflected on the people in Alabama the Democratic gubernatorial candidate reached, the hope he offered, and the work others can carry forward.

Monongahela Police Chief Kevin Harris says the officer regrets his conduct. Residents want consequences.

The Republican seat might not be in danger if Scott Colom had been allowed to become a judge.

“If you believe the eternal God, creator of the universe, is a male (or female) of a gendered species, you have departed from Christian orthodoxy,” Phil Vischer wrote.

Michael Hardwick’s 1982 arrest at the house for having sex with another man sparked a Supreme Court battle.

In addition to Senator-elect Chris Pappas, voters sent several out candidates to Washington, D.C., as well as state houses across America.