DISTRESS IN DES MOINES

School board members in Des Moines Iowa are finding their pro-tolerance, multi-cultural curriculum proposal under fire thanks to the efforts of imported anti-gay activist, Bill Horn. Four of seven school board members voiced their support for the proposed district education plan which would include teaching about the contributions of famous gay, lesbian and bisexual people and discussion of homophobic thinking and behavior. The plan met with opposition when board members gave the district superintendent the go ahead to begin implementing curriculum changes. Des Moines would become the first school district in Iowa with specific curriculum requirements to ensure that its schools are safe places for all its students including gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth.

Controversy erupted when Bill Horn, spokesman for The Report, a national Christian organization that publishes the anti-gay Lambda Report, moved to Des Moines to begin a campaign aimed at dismantling the long standing school district proposal. Horn, whose children do not attend the Des Moines Public School District, succeeded in gathering 3,000 protesters at a recent Des Moines anti-gay rally and called on those present to flood the school board with phone calls demanding rejection of the tolerance proposal.

School board members continue to stand in strong support of the policy but need support particularly from activists in Iowa and in other school districts with pro-tolerance policies. The Gay and Lesbian Resource Center (GLRC) of Des Moines has pitched in their organizing strength to fight Horn and his supporters. In addition to letters of support and encouragement to the Des Moines School Board, GLRC has suggested that activists from across the country write letters to the editor of the Des Moines Register in support of the board's position on the side of tolerance.

ACTION: Send letters of support to Jacquie Easley, President, Des Moines School District, 1800 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA, 50309. Send letters to the editor to The Des Moines Register, PO Box 957, Des Moines, IA, 50309 or fax to (515) 286-2511. For more information write GLRC: PO Box 7008, Des Moines, IA, 50309.