My 7 year old son Seán has been turned away from joining his local Rainbow group for being a boy. All of his friends go to the group and he is really upset that he can't join in. We assumed that this was because our local branch was being old fashioned in its approach. When my wife contacted the national organisation it turns out this discrimination is their national policy.

My wife was asked by Girlguiding "Why doesn't he just join the Beavers?". Well, he doesn't want to join the Beavers because he doesn't like "boy" activities he prefers "girl" activities and all his friends are girls who attend Rainbows. My wife was also told "Our young members value a girl only space and we believe the need for this is vital in today's world for such a safe space". I am left in complete disbelief that my 7 year old attending would make the environment unsafe for other children. My son attends ballet, tap, drama, singing and gymnastics, traditionally considered "girl" activities because he loves them and his contribution is valued by all children, is not discriminated against because of his gender and all the children always feel safe.

They said that if he identifies as a girl, he could join. Well, my son doesn't identify as a girl, he identifies as a boy and just likes "girl" things and that's where all his friends go. As a result he is being excluded simply on the basis of his gender.

When my daughter is old enough, she will be able to join the Rainbows and she will be able to progress through to Brownies and later Guides if she decides to continue. My daughter will also be able to join The Beavers, The Cubs and The Scouts if that's what she chooses to do.

This is because the Boy Scout movement has modernised and in the 21st century accepts boys and girls on an equal basis.

The Girlguiding movement is still stuck in the Victorian age where boys must be kept separate from girls and openly discriminate against boys. This is with blatant disregard for the Equality Act 2010.

I call on The Girlguiding movement to remove discrimination from their organisation, accept all members no matter their race, colour, creed or gender. The youngest members of society don't care whether their friends are boys or girls, they are just friends.