Mr. Jennings said that in the past year he had heard from a growing number of high school students inquiring about changing homecoming to include gays.

You said you would include gays in the state's nondiscrimination laws.

With the governor's signature, New York became the 13th state to include gays and lesbians in its civil rights law.

The groups singled out have included Catholics, Italians, Jews, Hispanics, feminists and gays.

Some Islamic countries quickly objected because a draft of the declaration included gays and prostitutes in the groups of people particularly at risk for contracting the disease.

It would also convey, just by its composition and agenda, that the identity of the priesthood does not include women, married men or gays.

The issue of including gays and lesbians is not limited to New York.

His friends included gays and so-called straights.

The measure had been stalled for more than a decade because the Republican-led Senate objected to including gays as a protected group.

This includes, in particular, minorities, gays, Roma and Jews.