Since last fall, when the Boy Scouts of America announced they would welcome girls into their clubs, more than 3,000 girls have taken the organization up on that offer, multiple outlets reported.

Over 170 groups — or about two-thirds of councils nationwide — participated in an early adopter program ahead of the official launch set for later this year, WBZ 4 reported.

“This may make the virtue signalers feel good, but at what cost?” Fox News host Laura Ingraham said to Eagle Scout and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on Wednesday night’s segment of “The Ingraham Angle.”

“The politically correct, virtue-signaling Left — they like to destroy things that work. They want to destroy core cultural intuitions,” Kirk replied.

He said social psychologists have demonstrated the developmental importance of young boys’ interacting exclusively with other young boys, in clubs like the Boy Scouts, for example. When girls move into a formerly male-exclusive group, the boys’ behavior changes in ways that defeat the purpose of the groups — they may show off to try to impress the girls, for example.

“The Boy Scouts have been unbelievably successful over the last 100 years of turning boys into men and creating some of America’s greatest leaders, whether it be Neil Armstrong or U.S. presidents or U.S. senators,” Kirk said.

Some girls have set their goals high on joining the Boy Scouts. Ten-year-old Tatum Weir of Durham, New Hampshire, for example, aims to achieve the organization’s highest rank, Eagle Scout, alongside her twin brother, Ian, WBZ 4 reported.

Public response to all of this, predictably, has been mixed. Some laud the move, noting that girls are enjoying the activities offered in the formerly boys-only clubs. Others are concerned that girls’ unique needs won’t be met, and that it is important for both boys and girls to be able to spend time and form strong bonds in clubs that are gender-exclusive.

Related: Shock: Boys Scouts Will Now Admit Girls

The Girl Scouts of America are among those expressing concern. Officials have indicated that the Boy Scouts’ change doesn’t have girls’ best interests in mind; and while there is certainly nothing wrong with becoming an Eagle Scout, they say the program simply wasn’t designed for girls, KCTV 5 reported.

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

Kirk worried about the detrimental impact the Boy Scouts’ move could have on membership in the Girl Scouts, which he said already struggles with recruiting young women. He predicted these developments may ultimately destroy the Girl Scouts of America.

A one-size-fits-all experience in children’s organized clubs and activities isn’t right for every child. Some prefer — and may ultimately fare better in — clubs that cater to and specialize in programming for a single gender.

Joy Wheeler, CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri, told KCTV that her organization will remain focused on what is best for girls — rather than what is convenient.

“Post-modernists want to redefine truth, and they want to destroy things that work.”

Wheeler and others suggest that offering busy parents the option to have both their sons and their daughters involved in a single club is tempting due, in part, to its convenience. Pressed for time and money, parents can make a single drop-off for meetings and shared fundraising activities — or they can even pass down club-related attire or equipment.

But is all of this the best answer?

“Post-modernists want to redefine truth, and they want to destroy things that work … And now we are severely jeopardizing that by inserting young ladies into the Boy Scouts,” Kirk said.

To be sure, a sizable social experiment is underway, as the “boy” in “Boy Scouts” ceases to define the organization. Whether this will ultimately serve the best interests of all the children involved remains to be seen.

Michele Blood is a Flemington, New Jersey-based freelance writer and a regular contributor to LifeZette.