Eagle Scouts return medals to protest BSA’s anti-gay policy

Across the U.S., Eagle Scouts – the most esteemed rank in the BSA – are returning their medals to protest the organization’s ban of gay scouts and leaders. Recent Internet posts from several now-former Eagles have said they sent back their awards in response to the group’s anti-gay stance.

MORE SCOUTING NEWS:
Camp staff resign in support of gay Eagle Scout

Ten staff members at a Boy Scouts camp in Northern California have resigned to protest the firing of a 22-year-old Eagle Scout who says he was let go because he is gay. At issue were his nail polish and an earring he wore. His sexual orientation was not a secret during the eight summers he worked at Camp Winton in Amador County. He thinks the Scouts’ regional council decided to fire him immediately after the national organization reaffirmed its ban on openly gay members and leaders. Other staff members started wearing nail polish and then resigned to show their support.

Chris Baker, an engineer in Minneapolis, said he decided to turn in his badge after spotting a Facebook post from a fellow scout who did the same. Baker spent ten years working toward the Eagle Scout’s 21-badge requirement after first joining the Cub Scouts in 2nd grade in Port Washington, Wisc. As a teen in Kansas City, he earned badges in activities like swimming and archery at Bartle Summer Camp near Osceola, and spent the school year working on service projects around the city. He cleaned public parks and helped build a pond at an elementary school.

[via NY Daily News]