New School Curriculum Seeks To Combat Anti-Gay Bias

By Michelle Galley

While educators concentrate on keeping gay and lesbian students safe from bullying and other harassment, a Massachusetts advocacy group is offering a new program intended to take the issue out of the hallways and into the classroom.

The Shared Heart, a Lenox, Massachusetts-based organization dedicated to promoting positive images of homosexuals and bisexuals, released a high school curriculum marking the recent anniversary of the beating death of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student. That slaying in October of last year focused national attention on violence against homosexuals.

The group's curriculum centers on a book of portraits and handwritten text detailing the experiences of 40 gay and lesbian 16- to 24-year-olds. Other materials include a resource guide directed at teachers, students, and parents, a CD-ROM, a classroom poster, and a set of 20 slides that correlate...