ABSTRACT
During the week of the Republican National Convention, Americans were subjected to the most overt display of homophobia ever to be broadcast over this nation's mass media. Simultaneously, vicious anti-gay legislation loomed in Oregon and the AIDS crisis continued unabated. The summer and fall the newspapers have been filled with the battle over multicultural education in the public schools. Conservative districts like Board 24 in Queens object to any mention of homosexuality in the public school curriculum. History has shown over and over again that the families of lesbians and gay men are overwhelmingly unable and unwilling to protect and respect their gay children. Children of gay parents have the right to see their realities acknowledged in their classrooms and school services. Lesbian and gay custodians, principals, and teachers are currently forced into the closet by lies depicting gay people as child molesters. The consequences of the existing repression are dramatic.
