SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The San Francisco Board of Education is considering expelling the military’s Junior ROTC program from the city’s high schools because of the Pentagon’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy regarding gay, lesbian and bisexual service members.

A resolution introduced by the board’s only gay member would end the city’s relationship with the JROTC by the 2007-2008 academic year, arguing that the military’s ban on openly gay soldiers violates the school district’s equal rights policy for gays and lesbians.

“If the military said, ‘You can’t be openly Jewish or you can’t be openly Catholic,’ I don’t think we would have stood for it this long,” said school board member Mark Sanchez, the measure’s author. “It’s an ethical issue more than anything.”

The program currently has 1,625 students participating at seven San Francisco public high schools. Under the proposal, which calls the military policy on gays, lesbians and bisexuals an “unjust, indefensible, unintelligent, state-sanctioned act of homophobia” the school board would appoint a committee to develop a program with similar physical fitness aims, but without military ties.

Lt. Cmdr. Joe Carpenter, a Pentagon spokesperson, said he didn’t know of any school district having barred JROTC from its campuses.

School board member Jill Wynns said San Francisco would lose money if the resolution passes when it comes up for a final vote this month. Students who now earn physical education credits through JROTC, which is funded jointly by the district and the U.S. Department of Defense, would have to be moved into regular PE classes.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) – Jurors decided former police Officer Ruben Lino deserves $431,000 in damages because he was passed up for rehire in part because he complained about the anti-gay remarks of fellow officers.

The seven-woman, five-man Superior Court jury was unable to reach a verdict on whether the gay ex-cop’s sexual orientation was the motivating reason when police Chief Cam Sanchez refused to rehire him in late 2003, shortly after Lino had resigned.

Jurors were split 7-5 on that question, with the majority believing he was discriminated against because he is gay.

Lino testified he left the Police Department because he perceived a hostile work environment and had planned to attend college in Washington, D.C. He changed his mind about a month later and asked the chief for his job back.

Sanchez testified that he thought Lino was a good cop and intended to rehire him until a background check disclosed his bad credit history, which the police and city officials insisted was the sole reason for rejecting him.

But jurors decided the department and the city could and should have done more to help Lino rectify his bad credit, instead of simply refusing to rehire him.

Lino, 28, had sued the city and Police Department for $2 million.

“I’m very pleased. This case was never about money. It was all about principles,” Lino said.

DENVER (AP) – The author of a 1992 ballot measure that blocked laws to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination, which was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, fended off a challenge May 25 in his effort to prohibit domestic partnerships.

Opponents of the ballot proposal aimed at stopping same-sex couples from being allowed to register as domestic partners vowed to take their legal challenge to the state Supreme Court after the secretary of state’s title board upheld the proposal.

State lawmakers referred a measure to voters that would grant same-sex couples the same benefits as married couples under state law. In response, Amendment 2 author Wilfred Perkins of Colorado Springs and Rep. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, launched their effort to amend the state constitution to bar the recognition of any status similar to marriage.

Jean Dubofsky, a lawyer who argued against Amendment 2 before the Supreme Court, and lobbyist Pat Steadman asked the title board to reconsider its approval of Perkins’ and Lundberg’s proposal, saying it was so vague it could also bar common law marriage or stop businesses from offering benefits to same-sex couples.

The title board unanimously rejected the challenge and Lundberg said they could start collecting signatures for the proposal as early as this week. The secretary of state still must approve the petition forms they’ll use.

Coloradans for Fairness and Equality, which is campaigning for the Legislature’s domestic partnership proposal and fighting a third measure that would bar same-sex marriage in Colorado, said they will continue to fight it.

“We’ll be taking this to the courts,” executive director Sean Duffy said. “This level of ambiguity clearly is inappropriate.”

Lundberg said the challenge was absurd and was designed to slow the process down. He said the wording of the proposal is the best way to block the domestic partnership proposal and a good constitutional amendment should lay out a principle but not contain too much detail.

“It looks like marriage,” Lundberg said of the Legislature’s referendum. “It contains everything that deals with marriage under Colorado law and applies everything to domestic partnerships except the word ‘marriage.’”

Perkins didn’t return a telephone call seeking comment.

State lawmakers who backed the measure said it wasn’t the same as marriage because domestic partners wouldn’t be eligible for federal benefits and wouldn’t have their partnership recognized in other states. Partners could also be turned away by adoption agencies who objected to same-sex relationships.

Duffy said Lundberg’s and Perkins’ proposal is the political equivalent of a “Hail Mary” pass that will have to be hashed out by judges. He said it doesn’t give voters a clear idea of what they’re voting for or against.

“You can’t write an initiative on the back of a cocktail napkin and hope for the best,” he said.

The domestic partnership proposal is a regular change to state law and not a constitutional amendment so it would be trumped by the “similar to” amendment if both passed.

SEAFORD, Del. (AP) – Five people face criminal charges after a weekend confrontation with members of a Kansas group that pickets military funerals and believes U.S. casualties in Iraq are God’s retribution for America’s embrace of homosexuality, authorities said.

Members of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., gathered in Seaford for a protest in conjunction with the funeral of Marine Cpl. Cory Palmer, a local resident who died last month from injuries suffered in Iraq.

The Kansas group, carrying signs reading “God Hates Fags,” “Fags Doom Nations” and “Vengeance is Mine, Sayeth the Lord,” was met by a crowd of about 1,000 angry counterdemonstrators shouting “USA! USA!” as well as various taunts and obscenities.

Passing motorists honked their horns and hundreds of motorcycle riders revved their engines in an attempt to drown out the church members’ shouts. Some counterdemonstrators hurled eggs, stones and water bottles.

State troopers and Seaford police officers were positioned between the two factions, but authorities say a Bridgeville man broke through the police line and began assaulting two of the Westboro protesters shortly before the demonstration ended.

David Jones, 29, was charged with two counts of third-degree assault and one count of disorderly conduct. He was released on $1,500 unsecured bond.

A 16-year-old Seaford youth was charged with criminal mischief and disorderly conduct after a tire on the Westboro group’s rented van was slashed. He was held at a detention center in lieu of $1,000 bond.

Christopher Daudt, 19, Stephen Carson, 19, and Allen Dunn, 56, all of Seaford, also were charged with criminal mischief and disorderly conduct after several counterdemonstrators threw rocks and bottles at a fire department vehicle carrying the Westboro protesters away from the scene, breaking several windows. Each was released on $1,000 bond.

“Tempers got very high,” said Stephanie Hansen, an attorney for the city. “The city provided plenty of police protection and did everything in its power to protect the members of Westboro Baptist Church as they exercised their First Amendment rights.”

Despite the violence, police department spokesperson Capt. Gary Flood said he believed area residents showed “good restraint.”

Church members planned to return to Seaford to picket the funeral of Marine Lance Cpl. Richard James, a 20-year-old Seaford native who was killed in Iraq on May 13.

At an afternoon news conference, city officials said they would issue a permit allowing the Westboro group to hold a 45-minute demonstration at a local park before James’ funeral at First Baptist Church.

City manager Dolores Slatcher also read a brief statement in which James’ parents urged local residents not to stage another counterdemonstration against the Westboro group’s “effort to defame our son’s memory.”

“By showing them attention we would be playing into their game plan,” read the one-paragraph statement signed by Jake and Carol James. “We would prefer that you honor Rick in prayer and silent vigil.”

GARY, Ind. (AP) – A lesbian student who wore a tuxedo to the prom said it is unfair a gay student was turned away from the event because he was wearing a dress and wants the school to adopt universal restrictions for both sexes.

Taleisha Badgett said West Side High School should not succumb to traditional gender codes.

“Girls can dress like a boy and they are just seen as tomboys,” Badgett told the Post-Tribune of Merrillville. “It’s not a big deal. But if boys wear girls’ clothes it’s a problem. It’s not acceptable. That’s not right.”

Badgett, 17, dressed in a tux, went to the prom with her girlfriend. However, Kevin Logan, who attended school all year wearing female clothing, was denied entrance to the prom because he was in a dress.

The school uniform dress policy, which quotes the First Amendment right of freedom of expression, prohibits halter tops, miniskirts and attire promoting profanity, among other things. It does not say boys cannot wear dresses or skirts.

However, a clause in the code says administrators, at their discretion, can ban clothing they think would be disruptive.

That discretionary judgment is what concerns Badgett and her girlfriend, Laniqua Gaines, who said it’s a window for prejudice that makes victims of boys such as Logan, 18, who prefers to present himself as a female.

Badgett and Gaines, who wore a dress to the prom, say they have no problem with a ban on revealing clothes. But if a dress or skirt covers adequately and would be permissible for a girl, they think it should also be allowed for boys.

“Some girls came to the prom half-naked, and that was allowed. If he [Logan] would have shown up in a tuxedo, that would have been more shocking. And he would have denied himself. It would have been a win for those against him,” Badgett said.

Logan’s next obstacle could be graduation. Girls are set to wear orange robes, while boys will wear blue.

“If I can’t wear an orange robe, I want to see it in writing,” Logan said.

Logan will wear blue if forced to, but said, “I’m not wearing a suit underneath.”

BOSTON (AP) – More than a dozen Senate lawmakers, including three Republicans, are backing a proposed budget amendment that would create a new state commission on gay and lesbian youth out of the reach of Gov. Mitt Romney.

Romney angered many gay rights activists and lawmakers when he flirted with the idea last month of abolishing the 14-year-old commission, the first of its kind in the nation, after a press release announcing a youth Pride march was issued without the administration’s blessing.

Instead of killing the commission, Romney ordered it to refocus on its core mission of suicide prevention.

Romney’s decision to keep the commission drew fire from its critics, who charged he had caved in to pressure from gay rights activists.

A spokesperson for Romney declined comment.

The Senate amendment would create a 27-member commission, none of whom would be directly appointed by the governor.

One of the main goals of the commission would be to create “school-based and community-based programs focusing on suicide prevention, violence intervention, and the promotion of zero-tolerance policies regarding harassment and discrimination against gay and lesbian youth.”

Because the Governor’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth was first created by former Gov. William Weld through an executive order, it could only be dismantled by a new executive order issued by Romney.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed legislation May 23 restricting protests at funerals in Michigan.

The new law is designed to stop demonstrations by the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church, which has protested at funerals of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Topeka, Kan. church says God is killing the soldiers to punish the U.S. for tolerating homosexuality.

The protests have angered lawmakers across the U.S., including in Michigan, where Westboro members have protested several times this year.

“We have sent a strong message that Michigan honors and respects those who have given their lives, and all who have fought for our freedom,” said state Rep. Judy Emmons, a Republican from Sheridan and an initial sponsor of the legislation along with Rep. John Gleason, a Democrat from Flushing.

The legislation bans any intentional disruption of funerals within 500 feet of the ceremony. Violating the statute would be a felony, punishable by up two years in prison and a $5,000 fine for the first offense and up to four years and $10,000 for a repeat offense.

Several states already have passed or are working on similar legislation. Granholm had said she would sign the funeral protest legislation as it worked its way through the Legislature.

“The governor has been appalled at the actions of protesters at the funerals of our fallen heroes,” Granholm spokesperson Liz Boyd said.

ST. PAUL (AP) – Syphilis cases among men who had sex with other men surged from 34 cases in 2004 to 99 cases in 2005, the Minnesota Department of Health reported.

“Clearly, in order to reduce syphilis rates in Minnesota, it is critical that we actively get the sexual partners of infected clients in for testing and treatment,” said Kip Beardsley, director of the sexually transmitted diseases and HIV section at the department.

Health Department officials said in a news release that infected people should inform their sexual partners so they can be tested and treated. The department has a program in which professionally trained staff can discreetly contact the partners on a client’s behalf.

The majority of those infected in 2005 were from 30 to 49 years old. New infections in Hennepin and Ramsey counties accounted for 95 percent of the total. About 37 percent of the new syphilis infections were co-infected with HIV, the department said.

Syphilis is spread through direct contact with a chancre during unprotected sex. Untreated syphilis can lead to blindness, brain damage, heart problems and death. It can be treated with antibiotics.

Latex condoms can reduce the risk of spreading syphilis, the department said.

ST. PAUL (AP) – The number of new cases of HIV/AIDS held nearly steady from 2004 to 2005 at about 300, according to a reported released by the Minnesota Department of Health.

There were 304 new cases diagnosed in 2005, nearly identical to the 307 cases diagnosed in 2004. Health officials said they have seen about 300 new cases annually each year for the past 10 years.

In a news release, Kip Beardsley, director of the sexually transmitted disease section at the department, said some communities continue to be harder hit than others.

Although gay or bisexual men represent 5 percent of the state’s population, they account for about 60 percent of the state’s HIV/AIDS cases, the department reported.

“These factors make it very clear that there is an ongoing need for prevention and testing services for gay and bisexual men,” Beardsley said in a prepared statement.

The department said that African immigrant, American black and Latino populations continue to have higher infection rates than whites.

One bright spot in the report was the declining infection rates among intravenous drug users. There were only three new cases in 2005, which followed a trend of 13 new cases a year for the previous three years.

Beardsley credited the decline to community based organizations that work with drug users.

Since the Health Department began tracking AIDS in 1982 and HIV in 1985, 7,824 cases have been reported and 2,772 people have died of the disease, the department said.

The department said that latex condoms, when used correctly, are highly effective in preventing transmission of the disease. The department also stressed that people should not share needles or tattoo equipment.

PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. (AP) – About two dozen parents and community members complained to a high school principal after two teachers there approved the release of a “heterosexual questionnaire” designed to raise awareness of gay-based issues.

The 10-question survey included questions such as, “What do you think caused your heterosexuality?” and, “When did you decide you were heterosexual?”

The survey was given to about 400 of Port Washington High School’s 930 students, Principal Duane Woelfel said. It happened on April 25, the eve of the national Day of Silence, an annual event co-sponsored by the New York City-based Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network.

Woelfel said he didn’t know about the survey until a parent gave him a copy the next day.

“We were extremely concerned when we found out about it, and we’re going to make sure that it doesn’t happen again,” Woelfel said.

The student organization Students for Unity distributed the questionnaire and led a class discussion on it with the approval of two teachers.

The message behind the survey was presumably that “students who have an alternative lifestyle get asked these questions every day, so please be considerate. It was an exercise in compassion and understanding that did not work out real well,” Woelfel said.

The survey violated school policy because parents weren’t given the opportunity in advance to decide whether their children should participate, Woelfel said.

The school is investigating the incident and will, along with the superintendent’s office, decide whether to discipline the two teachers, Woelfel said.

Woelfel, who identified the two teachers as Julie Grudzinski and Sarah Olson, described them as “very remorseful.”