[caption id="attachment_62217" align="aligncenter" width="607" caption="Credit: Tom Raymond"][/caption]

Earlier this monrth, the Boy Scouts of America reaffirmed that they do indeed discriminate on the basis on sexual orientation and in response a number of Eagle Scouts are returning their badges. The gesture is not one taken lightly by those scouts who earned 21 merit badges, served at least six months in a leadership position, and passed a board of review to claim the title of Eagle Scout.

The Chicago Tribune reports Rob Breymaier of Oak Park, Illinois is among who chose to take a stand against the Boy Scout's anti-gay policies after 20 years of involvement with the organization. "It was a family, and it was hard to pull away from it," he tells the Trib. "I was fully aware that it was wrong, but speaking out against that could have gotten you kicked out." Breymaier said he won't allow his 8-year-old son to participate in Scouting this year.

While a spokesperson from the Boy Scouts of America tells the Tribune that 5 scouts have so far returned their badges, a blog established on July 17th lists no less than 25 scouts who say they have dropped their medals in the mail.