Fox News Gunning for Jennings?

FoxNews.com has published its latest story -- or screed, depending how you look at it -- on Kevin Jennings, the assistant deputy secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education.

The latest piece, dated Monday, is headlined, "Obama's Safe Schools Czar Tied to Lewd Readings for 7th Graders." With descriptive words, the article highlights passages about gay sex from books recommended by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, of which Jennings was a founder and recent executive director. Even though the books contained guidelines and recommendations that parents review each book to ensure it's suitable for their children -- and there is no evidence Jennings personally recommended the books -- conservatives are using this as ammunition in their effort to have Jennings fired.

Writer Maxim Lott quotes Peter Sprigg of the conservative Family Research Council as saying, "The graphic sexual content of these books is so extreme that I think any average parent or citizen, regardless of how they feel about homosexuality, would be shocked at these books being recommended to young people."

Lott also mentions how in the '80s, Jennings counseled a 16-year-old boy who was sleeping with an older man, though the now-grown man has said it never was a sexual relationship. Lott does correct the assertion by conservative bloggers that as head of GLSEN, Jennings oversaw distribution of "fisting kits" -- in fact, they were dental dams.

Fox News has run several stories online and on-air regarding Jennings, including a piece by Sean Hannity that called for his resignation outright.

Read the full story here.