The instruction materials came to light as California Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy presented a bill to the state legislature banning instructions in homosexuality in the public schools. He presented as evidence, curriculum materials which encouraged homosexual experimentation and stories of teens who “discovered” their lesbian “orientation” after being seduced by a teacher.

Included in the instruction materials was a recommended reading list to “help parents understand and accept their gay and lesbian children.”

Young, Gay & Proud, One Teenager In 10: Writings by Gay & Lesbian Youth and Homophobia as Child Abuse are three of the 27 recommended titles. Parents who wished to review the books were told to look for them at local bookstores that cater to the homosexual market.

Organizations such as GLSEN are providing guidance to the schools on how to teach all students that the deviant sex practiced by homosexuals is really a normal and healthy expression of love. Their theory is that the more detailed the descriptions, the easier it will be for the students to decide their own sexual “orientation.” All this is done in the name of eliminating violence caused by intolerance.

The short version of this saga is that my friend, after politely going through channels like the teacher and the administration, and being told it was a matter of “academic freedom” for teachers, and that this book really described what life is like for teenaged “gay” boys, my friend finally became quite creative. She xeroxed several pages from the book--which was highly objectionable throughout -- and began passing them out at grocery stores, sports practices and games. The school was inundated with calls from irate parents, demanding to know why the school was teaching such trash. To our knowledge, the book was not used again for several years, but eventually found its way to a shelf in the library.

Now -- the school defended this book (and all the other books on the list) as schools often defend graphic material by saying it’s “reality.” Well, so is wife-beating. So is bulimia. So are incest and cannibalism. When a school deliberately chooses some books out of all the material available, and excludes other material, what standards are used? A school should not randomly choose the dregs of pop culture to offer up to impressionable kids, who don’t know there may be more hopeful messages out there. Schools aren’t simply worldly smorgasbords. They should stand for something.

“The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network"

1. GLSEN believes the early sexualization of children can be beneficial. This means that virtually any sexual activity as well as exposure to graphic sexual images and material, is not just permissible but good for children, as part of the process of discovering their sexuality.
2. “Coming out” (calling oneself or believing oneself to be homosexual) and even beginning homosexual sex practices at a young age, is a normal and positive experience for youth which should be encouraged by teachers and parents, according to GLSEN.
3. Bisexuality, “fluid” sexuality and sexual experimentation is encouraged by GLSEN as a right for all students.
4. Meeting other “gay” and “questioning” youth, sometimes without parental knowledge, is a frequent theme in GLSEN materials. At these meetings, minors will come into contact with college-age people and adults practicing homosexuality.
5. In GLSEN material, the “cool” adults—parents, teachers and counselors—are those who encourage students to embrace homosexuality and cross-dressing. They also allow adult-level freedoms and let children associate with questionable teens or adults.

One case is playing out in a Santa Cruz, California public school. A group of lesbian teachers has put up posters in classrooms that promote the gay lifestyle, and refer students who question their sexuality to homosexual and bisexual organizations. Parents are suing to change the posters to represent all differences among students. In this case, the homosexuals believe they should have exclusive rights.

And the Alliance Defense Fund has taken on a case in Kentucky where students are being forced into diversity training, where they are told that homosexuals cannot change their behavior. Opting out of these courses is a choice some parents make, but it is not as easy as it sounds.

BOSTON (Reuters) - A federal judge in Boston has dismissed a suit by two families who wanted to stop a Massachusetts town and its public school system from teaching their children about gay marriage, court documents show.

The families last year filed the suit asserting that the reading of a gay-themed book and handing out to elementary school students of other children’s books that discussed homosexuality without first notifying parents was a violation of their religious rights.

Federal Judge Mark Wolf ruled on Friday that public schools are “entitled to teach anything that is reasonably related to the goals of preparing students to become engaged and productive citizens in our democracy.”

“Diversity is a hallmark of our nation. It is increasingly evident that our diversity includes differences in sexual orientation,” he said.