Students get lesson in hateful vandalism

A vandalized sign has dampened the holiday spirits of a Wayland Middle School group after noticing the "Entering Wayland" sign on Route 27 at the Sudbury border changed to "Entering Gayland."

"It is offensive to use the word 'gay' as a putdown," the Middle School's Gay Straight Alliance wrote in a prepared statement. "Although we want to emphasize that being gay is OK, we object to the use of 'gay' as a derogatory term, and we realize this vandalism was intended as an insult."