Public schools have emerged as a leading venue where divisions over sexual orientation are playing out. State legislation, lawsuits and school district policies are grappling with several areas of concern:

• The increasing formation of Gay-Straight Alliance chapters in schools.
• Bullying, discrimination and other forms of harassment that are based on perceived or actual sexual orientation and gender identity.
• A growing number of students who openly identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning.
• Free-speech questions over the rights of students who have religious views against homosexuality.
• Questions about the rights of parents to limit their children’s exposure at school to information about sexual orientation or to limit students’ participation in clubs.
• Questions about parents’ rights to allow their child to choose his or her gender identity, particularly when the child’s physical makeup includes traits of both genders.
• Curriculum involving sexuality.
• Questions about the origins of sexual orientation and gender identity.

In March 2006, a group of organizations endorsed a framework for civilly discussing these matters. Co-author Charles Haynes wrote, in a column, “When they begin to listen to one another, most educators, parents and students discover that they want the same thing: public schools that are safe and free for all students.”

Jump to:

National sources
Common Ground
Anti-bullying
Anti-discrimination
Ex-gay movements and critics of gay rights
Sex education
State by state
News articles
Surveys/studies
Other background

Why it matters

Opinions on sexual orientation issues are often influenced by religious beliefs and values. The public schools are for everyone. How can differences over sexual orientation and gender identity be handled in an atmosphere where values, safety and self-expression are encouraged?

National sources

COMMON GROUND
Authors or endorsers of the guidelines “Public Schools and Sexual Orientation: A First Amendment Framework for Finding Common Ground“:

• Charles Haynes is a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center in Arlington, Va., and an expert on the First Amendment and religious liberty. He co-drafted the Common Ground guidelines. Read an Associated Press story published March 10, 2006, by The Boston Globe. Read a 2006 column and a March 19, 2006, USA Today op-ed column he wrote about the intensifying debate in public schools over homosexuality. Contact 703-307-5571, Chaynes@freedomforum.org.
• Wayne Jacobsen is founder and president of BridgeBuilders, based in Moorpark, Calif. He co-drafted the Common Ground guidelines. Read Jacobsen’s June 2006 report about the process of creating an anti-harassment policy in Marshalltown, Iowa, public schools. Contact805-529-1728,waynej@bridge-builders.org.
• Marcia Beauchamp of Santa Rosa, Calif., is an independent consultant whose services include workshops, seminars, mediation, conflict resolution and presentations on issues involving religion in public schools. Contact 415-505-7772, marcia@marciabeauchampconsulting.com.
• Paul D. Houston is executive director of the American Association of School Administrators, which endorsed the Common Ground guidelines. Contact 703-528-0700, phouston@aasa.org.
• Gene R. Carter is executive director of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, which endorsed the Common Ground guidelines. Read a news release. Contact Terrie Moody, 703-575-5607, media@ascd.org.
• Kevin Jennings is founder and executive director of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, which endorsed the Common Ground guidelines. The network, based in New York City, has registered more than 3,000 Gay-Straight Alliance student clubs in schools nationwide; coordinates an annual No Name-Calling Week, which this year was observed Jan. 22-26; and organizes the national Day of Silence, which in 2007 will be April 18. Contact Daryl Presgraves, media relations associate,646-388-6577, dpresgraves@glsen.org.
• Finn Laursen is executive director of Christian Educators Association International, which endorsed the Common Ground guidelines. The association lists regional directors. Read a news release. Read the group’s tips on responding to Gay-Straight Alliance clubs. Contact 888-798-1124 or 440-250-9566, finn@ceai.org.

ANTI-BULLYING

• Stephen Wessler is executive director of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence, based in Portland, Maine. The center offers anti-bullying workshops in schools across the nation. Read the center’s reports on harassment at Portland High and Deering High, both in Portland. Contact 207-780-4756, stevew@preventinghate.org.
• Brenda High of Pasco, Wash., is founder and executive director of Bully Police USA, which rates states’ anti-bullying laws. She says it is difficult to gain passage of such laws if they specify protection of victims based on sexual orientation; also, she says that categorizing children under protected categories can stigmatize them and take the focus offthe culpability of bullies and of adults. Contact brenda@jaredstory.com.
• Frieda Takamura, Beth Reis and Marsha Botzer are co-chairs of the Safe Schools Coalition, based in Seattle, which works in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. Contact Takamura, 253-765-7062; Reis, 206-296-4970; or Botzer, 206-726-2056.

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION

• Kevin Jennings is founder and executive director of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, which has its headquarters in New York City. The association has registered more than 3,000 Gay-Straight Alliance student clubs in schools nationwide; coordinates an annual No Name-Calling Week, which this year was observed Jan. 22-26; and organizes the national Day of Silence, which in 2007 will be April 18. Contact Daryl Presgraves, media relations associate,646-388-6577, dpresgraves@glsen.org.
• Shawn Burke is executive director and co-founder of Gay-Straight Alliance Network International, based in Mount Laurel, N.J. The network is made up of student-run, school-based organizations that talk about issues involving sexual orientation and harassment. Contact 609-458-5808, Shawn@gsani.com.
• Tim Gill is founder and chairman of the Denver-based Gill Foundation, which says it is the largest U.S. financial backer of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights. It provides grants through the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado. Contact Joanne Kron, 303-292-4455, joannek@gillfoundation.org.
• James Esseks is litigation director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & AIDS Project, which has a schools section. The ACLU has been defending the right of Gay-Straight Alliance chapters to meet in schools. Read a Jan. 11, 2007, news release bout Okeechobee, Fla., and a Jan. 10, 2007, news release about White County, Ga. Contact 212-549-2627, getequal@aclu.org.
• Jody M. Huckaby is executive director of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians & Gays, which has a program for safe and inclusive schools. Read a Jan. 5, 2005, news release about a study of the response of the education system to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students. PFLAG lists local chapters. Contact Jean-Marie Navetta, 202-467-8180 ext. 213, jnavetta@pflag.org.
• Judy Shepard, whose son Matthew was murdered in an anti-gay crime, is executive director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which has offices in Casper, Wyo., and Denver. She supports anti-discrimination programs in schools and legislation against hate crimes. Contact Judy@MatthewShepard.org.
• Kenneth Roth is executive director of Human Rights Watch. Read the organization’s 2001 report “Hatred in the Hallways: Violence and Discrimination Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students in U.S. Schools.” Contact press desk, 212-216-1832, hrwpress@hrw.org.
• Beth Teper is executive director of Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere, based in San Francisco. COLAGE lists local chapters. Contact 415-861-5437, director@colage.org.

EX-GAY MOVEMENTS AND CRITICS OF GAY RIGHTS

• Alan Sears is president, CEO and general counsel of the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance based in Scottsdale, Ariz., whose focus is defending religious liberty. The ADF sponsors the Day of Truth, which will be April 19, 2007, in schools around the country to “counter the promotion of the homosexual agenda and express an opposing viewpoint from a Christian perspective.” Contact Sears through media relations, 480-444-0020. See contacts for the fund’s five regional offices.
• Regina Griggs is executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX), which has worked for public schools to include educational material about ex-gays in programs that encompass sexual orientation. Some local chapters are listed. Contact 703-360-2225, pfox@pfox.org.
• Linda Harvey of Columbus, Ohio, is founder and president of MissionAmerica, which opposes homosexuality and is concerned about its promotion in public schools. Contact 614-442-7998, webmaster@missionamerica.com.
• Mathew D. Staver is founder of Liberty Counsel, a civil liberties education and legal defense organization specializing in freedom of speech and religious freedom and based in Orlando, Fla. He is also dean of Liberty University School of Law. Anita Staver, his wife, is president of Liberty Counsel. Read a July 5, 2006, news release about a lawsuit settlement that ended the designation of New York City’s Harvey Milk High School as being for gay, lesbian, transgender or questioning youth. Contact 800-671-1776, liberty@lc.org.
• Rick Scarborough is founder and head of Vision America, based in Lufkin, Texas, which encourages pastors and congregations to promote Judeo-Christian values in local, state and national issues. He favors overturning tolerance policies in public schools that require acceptance and protection of gays and lesbians. He wrote Liberalism Kills Kids (21^st Century Press, 2006). Contact 866-522-5582, mail@visionamerica.us.
• The Christian Legal Society contests college anti-discrimination policies in federal court. Contact Greg Baylor, director of the CLS Center for Law and Religious Freedom in Annandale, Va., 703-642-1070 ext. 3502, gbaylor@clsnet.org, or Steve Aden, chief litigation counsel for the center, 703-642-1070 ext. 3504, saden@clsnet.org.
• Randy Thomasson is founder and president of Campaign for Children and Families and founder and executive director of Campaign for California Families. Read a Sept. 8, 2006, news release. Contact 916- 265-5650.

SEX EDUCATION

• Joseph DiNorcia Jr. is president and CEO of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, based in New York City. A chart about state laws on teaching in public schools includes sexual orientation. Read SIECUS information sheets about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth issues and about harassment in school. The council also tracks controversies involving sexuality education in schools. Contact Martha Kempner, 212-819-9770 ext. 324, mkempner@siecus.org.
• Judith A. Reisman is president of the Institute for Media Education, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., and is critical of Alfred Kinsey’s research on sexuality, including its influence on school sex education. Contact jareisman@cox.net.

News articles

NATIONAL

• Read a Dec. 2, 2006, New York Times article about parents and schools facing issues with children who do not conform to gender norms.
• Read a Los Angeles Times story, published April 22, 2006, by the Concord Monitor, about conservative Christians suing over anti-discrimination policies.
• Read an April 1, 2006, San Francisco Chronicle story about legislation around the nation involving sexual orientation in public schools.

NORTHEAST
• Read an Associated Press article, published May 5, 2006, by The Boston Globe, about opponents of gay marriage in Massachusetts who are concerned about how sexual orientation is presented in the public schools.

EAST

• Read a Jan. 30, 2007, Philadelphia Inquirer story about a settlement between the Collingswood, N.J., school board and a former teacher who said school officials forced him out of his position because he was gay.
• Read a Jan. 25, 2007, Allentown (N.J.) Examiner story about school board approval of a Gay-Straight Alliance chapter at Allentown High.
• Read a Nov. 14, 2006, Philadelphia Inquirer story about the L.W. v. Toms River Regional Schools Board of Education case before the New Jersey Supreme Court, in which a student is suing school officials over a being harassed by classmates who perceived him as gay.
• Read a Jan. 30, 2007, Ocean County (N.J.) Observer story about a suit by another former Toms River High School North student who said he was sexually harassed by a teacher and other students.
• Read a Jan. 21, 2007, North Jersey Media Group story about the growth in New Jersey of high school clubs dealing with sexual orientation and gender identification.
• Read a Jan. 10, 2007, Washington Post story about approval by the Montgomery County (Md.) Board of Education of a sex education curriculum for eighth- and 10^th-graders that discusses sexual orientation.

SOUTH

• Read a July 20, 2006, article by 365Gay.com about approval by a Boone County, Ky., school of a Gay-Straight Alliance chapter.
• Read a July 27, 2006, Agape Press article.

SOUTHEAST

• Read an Associated Press story, published Jan. 11, 2007, by The Telegraph of Macon, Ga., about the settlement of a lawsuit involving the refusal by White County, Ga., public schools to permit a student gay rights club to meet on a high school campus.
• Read a Feb. 1, 2007, St. Petersburg Times story about a Hillsborough County, Fla., school board plan to allow parents to tell schools which clubs their children cannot join.
• Read a Jan. 20, 2007, Miami Herald story about Gay-Straight Alliance school chapters.
• Read a Nov. 4, 2005, story by the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer, posted at deweywriter.com about the North Carolina Board of Education rejecting a policy change that would have defined causes of discrimination.
• Read a Miami Herald article, posted April 3, 2006, by Dolphin Democrats of the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus, about anti-bullying bills before the Florida Legislature.
• Read a Jan. 18, 2007, Virginian-Pilot article about the defeat of a state bill that would have required parental permission for students to join extracurricular clubs.

SOUTHWEST

• Read a March 24, 2006, Tulsa World story about the state Board of Education’s repeal of an anti-discrimination law.

WEST/NORTHWEST

• Read a Jan. 16, 2007, Santa Cruz Sentinel story about a gay high school student who said he received hate mail at school after he protested rules prohibiting gay men from donating blood.
• Read a Dec. 12, 2006, CBS news story posted by KCAL 9 in Los Angeles about the Nguon v. Wolf case, in which a lesbian Garden Grove, Calif., teenager is suing public school officials for discrimination.
• Read a Jan. 15, 2006, Los Angeles Daily News article, posted by Jews on First, about a Simi Valley school board member’s proposal for a secondary school anti-discrimination program.

Surveys/studies

• The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Coalition for the Homeless in January 2007 released a report about an epidemic of homelessness among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. Read a Jan. 31, 2007, San Francisco Chronicle story. Contact Roberta Sklar, the task force’s communications director, 646-358-1465 or 917-704-6358 (cell), rsklar@theTaskForce.org.
• The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition on Dec. 13, 2006, released a report saying that in the previous decade more than 50 U.S. young people were murdered for not conforming to traditional gender stereotypes. Read a news release. Contact Brittney Hoffman, youth program co-coordinator, 202-462-6610, Brittney.Hoffman@gpac.org.
• Read GLSEN’s 2005 report “From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America – A National Report on School Bullying.” The organization also did individual reports on several states.
• The National Mental Health Association, now known as Mental Health America, in 2002 released a report on widespread anti-gay bullying and teasing in schools. Contact Heather Cobb, 703-797-2588, hcobb@nmha.org.
• The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network’s 2005 National School Climate Survey of students who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender included findings that:
• 75. 4 percent frequently heard derogatory remarks such as “faggot” or “dyke”
• 37.8 percent experienced physical persecution at school because of sexual orientation, and 26.1 percent on the basis of their gender expression.

Other background

• See a 2005 ReligionLink edition about college campus religious groups seeking waivers from anti-discrimination policies.
• Read the Equal Access Act, posted by Cornell Law School.

• The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled April 20, 2006, that administrators at Poway High in Poway, Calif., were justified in prohibiting a student from wearing an anti-gay T-shirt. Read an April 21, 2006, San Diego Union-Tribune story.

Regional sources

STATE-BY-STATE

• The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States lists state laws on teaching about sexual orientation.
• Wikipedia links to state organizations in a loose network of Family Policy Councils.
• Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) lists some local chapters.
• The Equality Federation is a network of state groups that advocate for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
• The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network lists local chapters.

IN THE NORTHEAST

• The Rev. Diane L. Moore, a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), is professor of the practice in religion and secondary education at Harvard University. She directs the Program in Religion and Secondary Education there and is on the editorial board of the journal Religion and Education. Contact 617-384-8047, dlmoore@hds.harvard.edu.
• Lee Swislow is executive director of Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, which is based in Boston and has been active in matters involving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender public school students in New England. On its Rights and Resources page, GLAD tracks students’ rights state-by-state for Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island; click on LGBT Overview under each state. Contact 617-426-1350, gladlaw@glad.org.
• Kristian M. Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, has been collecting reports from parents concerned about homosexuality being taught in public schools. Contact 617-928-0800, mafamily@mafamily.org.
• MassResistance (formerly Article 8 Alliance and Parents’ Rights Coalition) opposes same-sex marriage and is concerned about teaching about and promotion of homosexuality in public schools. The organization, which is based in Waltham, Mass., is supporting several school-related bills filed for the 2007-08 state legislative session. Contact Brian Camenker, 781-890-6001, brian@massresistance.org.
• Marvin M. Ellison, who is an ordained Presbyterian minister, is Bass Professor of Christian Ethics at Bangor Theological Seminary. His expertise includes sexuality and gender. Contact mellison@bts.edu.
• Leif Mitchell, assistant director for the Community Research Core at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., edited and published a resource module, Tackling Gay Issues in School. Contact 203-764-4347, leif.mitchell@yale.edu.

IN THE EAST

• Cris Beam, an adjunct assistant professor of creative writing at Columbia University in New York City, wrote Transparent: Love, Family, and Living the T with Transgender Teenagers (Harcourt, January 2007). Read a Jan. 5, 2007, Salon.com article. Contact 212-854-3886, beamc@earthlink.net.
• Planned Parenthood of Central Pennsylvania has organized The Curve, a support group for young people ages 14-21 who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender or are questioning their sexuality.” Contact 717-845-9683 ext. 206.
• Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum formed in Montgomery County, Md., out of concern for how sexual orientation was presented in the public school sex education curriculum. Contact Michelle Turner, 301-335-6042, michelle.turner@mcpscurriculum.org.
• James T. Sears is a professor of education at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, and an author and scholar who has written widely about issues of growing up gay and about sexual orientation and education. His books include, as editor, Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Issues in Education: Programs, Policies and Practices (Harrington Park Press, 2005). Contact 814-865-1500, jts18@psu.edu.

IN THE SOUTHEAST

• The ACLU of Florida in November 2006 filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida after Okeechobee County school district officials refused to allow a Gay-Straight Alliance chapter to meet on campus. Read a news release. Contact Brandon Hensler, director of communications, 786-363-2700, bhensler@aclufl.org.
• Vivian Marthell is executive director of Pridelines Youth Services, based in Miami, which serves gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth of South Florida. The nonprofit organization hosts an annual GLBTQ prom. Contact 305-571-9601, vivian@pridelines.org.
• Michael Curtis is Judge Donald L. Smith Professor in Constitutional and Public Law at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. He says the government can protect people from hate speech in public schools. Read a U.S. State Department release. Contact 336-758-5714, curtismk@law.wfu.edu.
• Bill Brooks is president and executive director of the North Carolina Family Policy Council, based in Raleigh. Read the council’s policy papers on Gay-Straight Alliance clubs and on safe schools initiatives. Contact 919-807-0800, admin@ncfamily.org.
• Ian Palmquist is executive director of Raleigh-based Equality North Carolina, which advocates on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents of the state, and chairs the national Equality Federation. The federation lists state groups. Contact 919-829-0343 ian@equalitync.org.
• Melissa Weiss is executive director of Safe Schools North Carolina, based in Lumberton, which works against “bullying, harassment, and discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity in North Carolina Schools.” Contact 910- 608-2016, info@safeschoolsnc.com.
• Florida state Rep. Ken Gottlieb, D-Hollywood, has been seeking passage of a statewide anti-bullying policy in public schools that would include forbidding harassment based on sexual orientation. In May 2006, the bill he sponsored died in committee. Contact 954-893-5081, gottlieb.ken@leg.state.fl.us.
• Mark Yarhouse is an associate psychology professor at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va. He has written about sexual orientation and Christianity, and developed and directs the Institute for the Study of Sexual Identity. Contact 757-226-4829, markyar@regent.edu.

IN THE SOUTH

• Howard Bayless is chairman of Equality Alabama, based in Birmingham, which works on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents. The organization says no public schools in the state have anti-harassment policies dealing with sexual orientation. Contact equalityalabama@equalityalabama.org.
• Jordan Palmer is president of the Kentucky Equality Federation. Read a news release. Contact 859-746-3585.
• Kent Ostrander is executive director of the Family Foundation of Kentucky. Contact 859-255-5400, tffky@mis.net.
• Lisa Beavers, a licensed professional counselor in Nashville, is forming a safe haven program to meet youths’ concerns about gender or sexual identity formation. Contact 615-322-9559, drlisahccs@yahoo.com.

IN THE MIDWEST

• Iowa’s second annual Governor’s Conference on LGBT Youth will be Feb. 22, 2007, at Drake University, Des Moines.
• The Iowa Senate approved and sent to the House a school anti-bullying bill that would include forbidding harassment based on sexual orientation. Read a Jan. 31, 2007, Des Moines Register story.
• Kris Hall directs the anti-discrimination campaign of Dubuque Community School District in Dubuque, Iowa. District policy includes prohibits discrimination or harassment based on sexual orientation. Contact 563-552-3019, khall@dubuque.k12.ia.us.
• The school board of Waterloo, Iowa, adopted a new anti-bullying policy that specifies protection of students from harassment based on sexual orientation, according to an Associated Press article published Dec. 14, 2006, by PrideSource.
• Ryan Roemerman is founder and director of the Iowa Pride Network, based in Des Moines, which works with and on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning college and public school students. Read the organization’s 2005 High School Climate Survey report. Contact 512-243-1110, ryan@iowapridenetwork.org.
• Brad Clark is executive director of the GLBT Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force, based in Des Moines. Read the task force’s January 2006 findings and recommendations. Contact 515-243-1221, brad.clark@iowasafeschools.org.
• Phil Burress is president of Citizens for Community Values, which has offices in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. Read the CCV report “The Legal Liability Associated with Homosexuality Education in Public Schools.” Contact 513-733-5775, philburress@ccv.org.

IN THE SOUTHWEST

• Laura Belmonte is president of Oklahomans for Equality, based in Tulsa. Contact 918-906-2134, labelmonte@hotmail.com.
• Read Deseret News articles from Dec. 15, 2005, and Feb. 23, 2006, about legislation to ban gay-straight alliances in Utah public schools.
• A bill before the Utah Legislature would require parental permission for students to participate in school clubs.
• Gayle Ruzicka is president of Utah Eagle Forum, which supports state legislation to necessitate parental permission for student participation in school clubs. Contact utaheagles@utaheagleforum.org.
• Rachel McNeil directs youth programs at the Utah Pride Center, based in Salt Lake City. Contact 801-539-8800 ext. 14, rachel@glbtccu.org.

IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST

• In the case of a San Diego area high school student who was removed from class for wearing a T-shirt quoting the Bible against homosexuality, a federal judge upheld the schools’ dress code. Read a Jan. 25, 2007, Associated Press story, posted by the San Francisco Chronicle.
• In a December 2006 report to Oregon Gov. Gov. Ted Kulongoski, a task force recommended that state law prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, including in the public schools. Contact the task force’s chairman, Paul J. Kelly Jr., 503-228-3939 ext. 3230 pkelly@gsblaw.com.
• California state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, sponsored legislation – vetoed Sept. 6, 2006, by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger – that would have prohibited in public schools teaching or instructional materials that discriminate against people based on sexual orientation. Read a news release. Read a Sept. 7, 2006, San Jose Mercury News article, posted by the Human Rights Campaign. Contact Tam Ma, 916-651-4023, senator.kuehl@sen.ca.gov.
• Brad W. Dacus is president of the nonprofit legal defense organization Pacific Justice Institute, which is based in Sacramento, Calif., and specializes in religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties. Read a news release. Contact 916-857-6900, pji@pacificjustice.org.
• Geoffrey Kors is executive director of Equality California, a nonprofit group that advocates on behalf of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Californians. Read a news release. Contact Ali Bay, communications manager, 916-284-9187 or ali@eqca.org.
• Joseph Nicolosi is founder and president of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality, based in Encino, Calif. His books include, as co-author with wife Linda Ames Nicolosi, A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Homosexuality (Intervarsity Press, 2002). Contact 818-789-4440, nationalarth@yahoo.com.