BRIDGEPORT, Ohio (AP) -- A board member for a regional Boy Scouts group has resigned in protest over the removal of a lesbian den mother in eastern Ohio because of the group's ban on gays.

Parents in Bridgeport have rallied behind Jennifer Tyrrell (TUH'-rehl), saying she was a great leader and they want her brought back.

David Sims of the Ohio River Valley Council told the Los Angeles Times he resigned from the council's board Friday after learning Tyrrell's story.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation released the text of Sims' resignation letter, which says he understands Tyrrell's removal is legal but opposes it because he believes it is discrimination.

The Scouts say that as a private organization they have a right to exclude gays. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the ban.