Seven-year-old Siena Levin and her family hit the streets of West Hollywood’s super-queer neighborhood to sell cookies for her local Girl Scout troop in Glendale, California. In an effort to avoid the “nightmarish” experience of door-to-door sales from the previous year, they decided to go to a “high traffic, low competition” area, and boy did they hit the jackpot. With the help of the LGBTQ+ community, Siena sold out of all 120 boxes of cookies in 13 different flavors and returned the following Sunday with a wagon to sell even more.
The success of Siena’s cookie sale wasn’t just a financial win for her troop but an opportunity to teach her about “compassion, love, and community.” This lesson is particularly important in light of recent legislation that has labeled LGBTQ+ people and drag performers as threats to children. Levin’s mother expressed her desire to teach her children to be accepting and loving toward people of all backgrounds and abilities.
Unfortunately, the Girl Scouts have been the target of anti-LGBTQ+ conservatives in the past, with accusations of promoting “radical feminism” and not being transphobic. Despite the backlash, Levin’s successful cookie sale with the help of the LGBTQ+ community has brought attention to the importance of acceptance, love, and community in the face of adversity.
In the end, not only did Siena earn two badges for being a successful young cookie seller, but she also learned an invaluable lesson about the power of love and community in creating a better world.