Schools Examine Lessons of Gay Marriages
By KEN MAGUIRE
Associated Press Writer

May 21, 2004, 4:33 PM EDT
NEWTON, Mass. -- Kate Brodoff is just a freshman in high school, but lately she has found herself playing the teacher.

The 15-year-old girl's lesbian parents were plaintiffs in the lawsuit that led to the legalization of gay marriage and were among the first couples to get married this week, so Kate has been explaining her insider's perspective to classmates at Newton South High School.

"Some make assumptions. They think that marriage and civil unions are the same," Kate said. "I try to tell them the actual facts of the case."

Across the state, as Massachusetts became the first to allow gay couples to wed, educators grappled with how to discuss the landmark development in the classroom. In many cases, students did not need much prompting.


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Stop The Gay Bashing Stonewall Democrats Tell GOP
by Doreen Brandt
365Gay.com Newscenter

(Washington)  National Stonewall Democrats Friday called on Republicans to stop a barrage of anti-gay attacks that they have unleashed this week.  

Late last night, the Republican National Committee released a research paper titled "Totally San Fran" which blasted Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi for being "extreme and out of touch on homosexual issues." 

Also last night, U.S. Representative Tom Reynolds (R-NY), chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, lobbed a thinly-veiled anti-gay taunt at Pelosi, saying that the
Democratic Leader " should just go back to her pastel-colored condo in San Francisco and keep her views to herself."  In response, Pelosi's office noted that her family lives in a red-brick house.

"These taunts aren't worthy of a schoolyard bully, let alone a national party," said Dave Noble, NSD Executive Director.  "The majority of Americans support equal employment protections, hate crime laws and open military service.  It is the Republican Party that is out of touch with mainstream America, and they are demonstrating that point with this extreme rhetoric. "