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Gay families line
up for tickets to White House Easter Egg Roll

Gay families line
up for tickets to White House Easter Egg Roll

Easter_egg_1

Hundreds of gay and lesbian parents hoping to take their families to the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday were in line on Saturday morning to get tickets for the event.

Hundreds of LGBT parents hoping to take their families to the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday began lining up Friday evening to make sure they'd get tickets for the event. Thousands of tickets--an estimated 16,000 last year--are given away on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning at 7:30 a.m. Saturday.

National Park Service officials said Wednesday that any family may attend as long as there is at least one child 7 years of age or younger and no more than two adults per group. There was no word on Saturday on exactly how many gay families received tickets.

First Lady Laura Bush's office issued a statement saying all families are welcome to attend. "I don't think this is a protest," said Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the LGBT group Family Pride Coalition, in reference to the expected show of force of gay families from around the country. "Showing up, participating fully in an American tradition, showing Americans that we do exist, that in our minds isn't a protest."

But some have said the group is playing politics. "I think it's inappropriate to use a children's event to make a political statement," said Mark Tooley of the Institute on Religion and Democracy.

The parents say they will not carry signs or chant slogans but will wear rainbow-colored leis as a unifying symbol. "The message is that gay and lesbian families are everywhere in this country," said Chrisler. "We care about the same things that all parents care about: providing our children with every opportunity and every experience possible."

The egg roll has been a Washington tradition since the mid-19th century. Children use spoons to push colored eggs through the grass in a race. Past events have included petting zoos and White House staff members wearing bunny costumes. The president sometimes makes a brief appearance, and the first lady often reads a story. The White House has not announced plans for this year. (AP)

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