Kentucky ministers protest The Laramie Project

A group of pastors in Danville, Ky., doesn't want Danville High School to host a performance of The Laramie Project because they say it promotes a gay lifestyle. The group, Fellowship of One, includes several pastors of black churches. Members of the group attended Monday night's meeting of the Danville school board to protest the play and said they would act as a sort of a moral watchdog in monitoring the curriculum and special programs, such as the play, in local schools. The Laramie Project is about the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student. The play, which would be performed by actors from nearby Centre College, is tentatively scheduled for either February 18 or February 19 at the high school. Fellowship of One claims that performance of the play would cross the line between informing about hate crimes and teaching about "the gay lifestyle." Board chairwoman Jean Crowley said the board will not block the performance, however. She said the board plans to hold an informational meeting for parents.