Parents may sue school over gay book

By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk • April 25, 2006 - 0:00

The book, “King King,” where a prince marries a fellow prince instead of a princess, was used in a lesson teaching different types of weddings

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A parents' group in Massachusetts is planning to sue a local school for using a book that portrays gay marriage.

The Parents Rights Coalition believe the law is being abused and claim their children are being indoctrinated.

A statement from the group described the experience of Robin Wirthlin, a mother who complained to the Joseph Estabrook Elementary School after her 7 year old son was provided with the book in class, "On March 24, their second-grade son came home from the Estabrook Elementary School and repeated to his mother the story read to him earlier that day about men getting married to each other.

"His teacher had read the book "King and King" to the class, in which a prince doesn't want to marry any princesses, but instead falls in love with a princess's brother and marries him in a big palace wedding.

"Mrs. Wirthlin remembers that it was so startling to her son that he described details of the book such as that "the queen even shed a tear."

"It obviously made an impression on him. This is a children's book about homosexual romantic love and "marriage". Its purpose is to normalize homosexuality in the mind of a child, using the vehicle of a children's fairy tale. It was brought into the classroom by the teacher for that reason, and read to the kids for that reason.

Brian Camenker, president of the Parents Rights Coalition told Reuters news agency, "It's just so heinous and objectionable that they would do this,."

He said a 1996 state law requiring schools to notify parents about sex education lessons was "being abused."

"I wouldn't be surprised if in the next couple of weeks there was some kind of (legal) action taken.

The book, "King King," where a prince marries a fellow prince instead of a princess, was used in a lesson teaching different types of weddings.

Lexington Superintendent of Schools Paul Ash said the school has no legal obligation to tell parents about the book, "We couldn't run a public school system if every parent who feels some topic is objectionable to them for moral or religious reasons decides their child should be removed.

"Lexington is committed to teaching children about the world they live in, and in Massachusetts same-sex marriage is legal."

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