Today's top story in the Movies channel concerns a lawsuit filed by the grandparents of a 12-year-old girl, which asserts that she was traumatized when a substitute teacher showed Brokeback Mountain in her elementary school classroom. The Oscar winner is rated R for nudity (mostly female) and sex (both heterosexual and male-on-male). The lawsuit alleges that before playing the film, the teacher shut the classroom door and said, "What happens in Ms. Buford's class stays in Ms. Buford's class"--a comment that suggests at least a little ambivalence about the appropriateness of the film for preteens. The family is accusing the school of "negligence, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress."

Predictably, bloggers are lining up on both sides of the issue, although just about everyone seems to agree that R-rated movies--including the flick that launched a million gay cowboy jokes--shouldn't be shown in elementary school. Here's a sampling of the chatter:

"Once again, as a teacher I am mortified at the poor judgment and sheer stupidity of some of my fellow educators." -- Verum Serum

"Parents see chance to sue and get big bucks so they can have nicer things. Civilization as humans know it to collapse sometime around noon today, or at least by supper time." -- Editorials From Hell's Leading Newspaper

"Now, I loved the movie. But Heath mounting Jake just isn't peanut butter-and-jelly fare. Call me a neoconservative, I just don't agree with it." -- Ravnostic

"This story is a unfortunate byproduct of liberal activism. It is not one of tolerance and diversity because it is intolerant and disrespectful toward those of faith not to mention those who struggle with raising children in the world of the entertainment industry's pro sex, drugs and guns mentality." -- Webloggin

"You know, as I recall, William Faulkner had that effect on me. I wonder what the statute of limitations is on psychological-assault-by-bad-literature." -- Overlawyered

Of all the films for a substitute teacher to show to a class, why Brokeback Mountain? I personally don't think the film glamorizes the homosexual lifestyle--if anything, it shows the potential agony that awaits anyone who pursues it. But why show a film like that to a class if you're not trying to provoke a debate? Is there a grand liberal agenda at work here, or did this Ms. Buford just happen to have the DVD in her purse? Is the lawsuit justified, or is the moral debate just an excuse for the family to cash in? What's your take?