MAPLE GROVE, Minn.—The students who sued the Osseo (Minnesota) school district over its treatment of their GLBT group spoke at a March 19 forum attended by more than 50 students and community members.

Natalie Durivage and Heather Woodson, who no longer attend Maple Grove High School, said they called the meeting at the school to dispel rumors about the ongoing legal wrangling, including a rumor that the lawsuit has prompted a moratorium against new student groups.

District 279 spokesman Pat Brink said there’s no such moratorium.

Durivage and Woodson sued the district in 2005 after officials denied Straights and Gays for Equality, or SAGE, status as a curricular organization, which would have allowed them to meet during school hours, put up posters and use the public address system. Synchronized swimming and cheerleading have curricular status.

U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen sided with the students in April 2006, and the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the district’s appeal in December 2006. Last September, Ericksen issued a permanent injunction requiring the district to give SAGE equal access. The district is appealing that ruling.

In the meantime, attendance at SAGE meetings has grown from two or three students to as many as 38 at a recent meeting—many of them straight. Some students say the group has raised awareness about homophobic comments and made the school’s culture more accepting of gay students.