Free Republic

NEWARK, N.J. — The yearbooks were finally printed and ready to be picked up by students at Newark's East Side High School — but not before some officials snapped open their correcting pens to edit out a picture of two males kissing. This was not art class, but staff afraid of parental backlash used markers to color over the picture, censoring it from every copy of the 2007 yearbook before distributing it, MyFoxNY.com reports. Described as "illicit" and provocative by Newark's superintendent of schools, Marion Bolden, the photograph depicts a kiss between 18-year-old Andre Jackson and David Escobales.

A gay-rights group is demanding an apology from Newark School Superintendent Marion Bolden for ordering her staff to black out a picture of a gay couple kissing be fore distributing copies of the yearbook to students at East Side High School. Calling the directive homophobic and unlawful, Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality, said yesterday the school also should redistribute a new batch of uncensored yearbooks at the district's expense. "This action by the school district will have an unspeakably vile chilling effect on other gay and lesbian students coming out," Goldstein said. "Her (Bolden) trying to erase a...