Egg roll may see gay, lesbian families

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WASHINGTON, April 17 (UPI) -- This year's Easter egg rolling on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. may also see participation by gay and lesbian families.

The White House tradition, dating back to 1878, brings frolicking children and their proud parents to the event. This year, gay and lesbian families began staking their claim for the contest set for Monday, standing in line for some of the 15,000 free tickets, reports the Chicago Tribune.

The egg roll is a great event to "introduce gay families to the American public," said Jennifer Chrisler with the Family Pride Coalition, a non-profit group that promotes equal rights for gay families.

Those opposed to their participation had a different opinion. "They could easily demonstrate and make their statement at a thousand other places and a thousand other times, but I think that it's a shame that they had to pick the Easter egg roll," said Mark Tooley, director of the United Methodist Committee at the Institute on Religion and Democracy. The White House did not plan to make an issue of gay and lesbian families at the event, the Tribune reported.