Westminster College to Sponsor Multi-Cultural Speaker

Leslea Newman, activist, poet, and author of over 200 books, will talk about homophobia, censorship, and family values in teaching tolerance, Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. in Wallace Memorial Chapel.

Newman believes that the key to ending homophobia is education, and the earlier the better. She wrote a children's book, Heather Has Two Mommies, designed to teach elementary school children that there are all types of families and that "the most important thing about a family is that all people in it love each other."

This book has become the second-most banned book in the country, and its inclusion in the Rainbow Curriculum cost New York City School Chancellor Joseph Fernandez his job.

Newman's presentation includes a reading from her own work, as well as a 15-minute video.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Dr. Neal Edman, dean of student affairs at Westminster College, at (724) 946-7113.