This is extremely sad. For kids growing up gay (or not, as the case may be), this sort of harassment adds to the social stigma and the fear they are already feeling.

"The teacher's conduct was reprehensible and utterly inappropriate for a class of high school seniors, let alone second- and third-graders," said Patrick Mullaney, lawyer for angry mom Nereida Pastrana.

"But to make matters worse, the conduct was well-known and condoned by the school staff and administration."

The suit filed in Bronx Supreme Court earlier this week says teacher Jared Alessandroni repeatedly called Pastrana's son, now 10, "gay" and twisted his arm in March 2009.

"There were a lot of sexually inappropriate comments directed toward my son," Pastrana said.