Author and former Girl Scout Nancy Manahan honored two scouting traditions Monday night — she handed out badges and cookies.

Manahan appeared at the University of Maine and at Borders Books, Music and Cafe to discuss her new book, “On My Honor: Lesbians Reflect on Their Scouting Experience.” Manahan’s 1985 collection of essays, “Lesbian Nuns: Breaking the Silence,” created a furor and made the best-seller list.

The book is a collection of 32 essays divided into four chapters titled empowerment, fulfillment, disillusionment and acceptance and integration. It includes a “letter of reconciliation” Manahan would like the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. to write apologizing to “… any Girl Scout, present or former, who has experienced homophobic prejudice in Girl Scouting …”

Manahan grew up in Madelia, Minn., a small town in the southern part of the state. Her mother, Ruth Hinchon Manahan, helped organize Girl Scouting in the area. Manahan attended Girl Scout Camp Tukawah with her sister, Pat Manahan Anderson. In girl scouting, the author found what many young women have found since the organization was founded in 1912.

“Scouting is … first and foremost about gender equity,” she wrote in her introduction to the book. “It’s about strengthening a girl’s sense of herself and her place in the world, allowing her the space to be herself with other girls …

“That was what I so yearned to be a part of when I was a young girl. I didn’t know I was a lesbian yet … But what I did understand with unrelenting clarity was how narrow the world seemed for women as compared to men, for girls as compared to boys. Scouting represented an alternative choice to me, an opportunity to do more in the world …”

Those sentiments are echoed throughout the book. The essayists have written in glowing terms about their scouting experiences, citing the leadership skills, as well as the love for the outdoors, that they developed as Girl Scouts. For the most part, “On My Honor” is a moving testament to the organization, its goals and its founder, Juliette Gordon Low.

Only seven of the 32 pieces cite examples of discrimination or negative experiences with Girl Scout troops or councils. “Testimony” recounts the experience of Kristen Renn, an assistant dean at Brown University, who was fired from her summer job as director of a counselor-in-training program at a Rhode Island Girl Scout camp after she was quoted in a newspaper article about lesbians and gay men on college campuses.

“Honor. Honesty. Fairness. When I first memorized the Girl Scout Promise and Law I had no idea how much these values would shape my life,” wrote Renn. “… I do believe that living with honor, honesty, and fairness is the right way to live. I believe that the women who raised me, those at home and in my troop and especially at summer camps, live the Promise and the Law. They instilled these values in me, and these values are the source of the integrity with which I live.”

Manahan and many of the essayists urge the lesbians in Girl Scouting to “come out of the closet” and be open about their sexuality. They urge all local Girl Scout councils to include sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination policies, as about 25 councils throughout the country now do. Manahan and other contributors suggest that homosexuality be included in the Contemporary Issues series used by older, Senior scouts.

Because “On My Honor” was published in November, before Maine’s gay rights law was repealed in February, the state is listed as one of 11 that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The only contributor to the book who lives in Maine declined to be interviewed about her essay, citing the election results. One former Girl Scout who attended both of Manahan’s appearances requested that only her first name be used.

“I was a Brownie and Girl Scout, then worked for three years on the professional staff for one of the Maine Girl Scout councils,” said Maureen, who had marked her favorite sections of Manahan’s book with colorful stick-on tabs. “I did not experience discrimination as a staff person. It was safe to be out to other staff members, but not to parents or the girls.

“When I was a Girl Scout, I knew nothing about being gay. What I found in scouting were strong, confident, positive role models … I found what a lot of the women in the book found — a deep kinship with other girls and women. Girl Scouts was a place where I was able to completely express myself.”

Despite the overall positive tone of the book, Girl Scout councils have prepared leaders and staff members with “talking points” to address the issues raised in “On My Honor.”

The executive director of the Abnaki Council, which serves Northern Maine, stated many of the points when asked to comment on the book.

“Our policy does not include sexual orientation, because it reflects the nondiscrimination policy outlined by state law in the Maine Human Rights Act,” said Jo Stevens, who has headed the council for 12 years. “When we screen volunteers and staff, we screen for potential abuse. Sexual preference is not what we screen for. We don’t want lesbians or heterosexuals discussing their sex life in front of the girls. It’s not appropriate behavior …

“It’s not that we don’t ask, don’t tell. A person’s sexual orientation just doesn’t matter. It isn’t really relevant,” she said. “I’ve been in Girl Scouts 50 years, in several different councils, and I have never seen a situation where anyone was removed for their sexual preference …”

However, Manahan’s book already has had an impact on one council. The Patriot’s Trail Council in Boston, the nation’s sixth largest, has purchased 100 copies of “On My Honor” and asked her to assist them in integrating information on homosexuality into their programs for leaders and older scouts.

At the end of her imaginary letter of reconciliation, Manahan wrote: “In closing, we would like to invite any lesbian adults or youth who have avoided the Girl Scouts because of the organization’s homophobia to give Girl Scouting another chance. We value your experience and your contributions … We ask for your help in entering the 21st century with a policy and practice of zero-tolerance for discrimination. It’s a simple matter of justice.”