By Jim Brown and Jody Brown
September 17, 2002

(AgapePress) - A pro-family attorney is applauding Boston University for its decision to disband a homosexual group at its affiliated secondary school for grades 8-12.

Boston University Academy was founded in 1993 as an integral part of prestigious Boston University -- the fourth largest private college in the United States. The school attempts to smooth the transition from high school to college by requiring its juniors and seniors to take college-level classes. It boasts that its students' SAT scores are consistently among the highest in the nation -- and its graduates receive both a high school diploma and a college transcript with up to 48 credits from BU.

But Boston University Chancellor John Silber says he does not think it is appropriate for a school -- especially one that begins at the lower end of the secondary level -- to be getting involved in the sexuality of its students. That is why he recently told the headmaster of BU Academy, Dr. Jim Tracy, to drop the school's "Gay Straight Student Alliance." The activities of the pro-homosexual group, Silber said, were not germane to the school's purpose.

According to the Boston Globe, the first gay-straight alliance in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was established in 1989 by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Kevin Jennings, executive director of GLSEN, told the newspaper his group feels Chancellor Silber could be violating federal equal-access laws because other clubs are allowed to operate at BU Academy.

But Boston attorney Chester Darling, with the group Citizens for the Preservation of Constitutional Rights, says Silber exposed GLSEN's true agenda.

"I think he eventually identified what their real motivations were, and what sort of a contribution they were making to the school, which was a negative one," Darling says. "They're over there recruiting -- and basically, that's what the GSAs are. There's very little 'straight' in the GSA, and it's not an educational process either."

But while Darling agrees with Silber, he is not optimistic other state administrators will have the courage to disband similar homosexual groups. "Most of the administrators that are involved in that area are generally invertebrates," he says. "There are very few that will stand up to these people because they are so well organized and heavily financed -- and financed by government. In Massachusetts, the GSAs are supported by tax dollars."

Darling also points out that few Massachusetts legislators are willing to oppose the state's policy of offering grants to GSAs.

For nearly ten years, Massachusetts has helped pay for GSAs at public schools that want them. It is the only state in the country that does so. GLSEN reports there are more than 1,000 such alliances nationwide.

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