comfort level in the classroom during discussions on diversity

I really enjoyed how well the discussions went during class and thought that it was effective to begin by talking aobut what makes the topic of sexuality or sexual preference uncomfortable for students. i found it interesting to think aobut the correlation between religion and this topic in that it seems like this will be the biggest obstacle when creating an unbiased classroom that celebrates diversity. I would like to know more about what a teachers responsibility when introducing this subject. Do we have to inform parents and how do you respect thsoe religions which disagree with certain types of lifestyles? I think that this is an area of education that could potentially cuase a riff in the home and school relationship. I would like to learn about how to include those students in these discussions but, at the same time do not want to force beliefs on those students who come from families who do not want to discuss this topic. I hope that when I have children they will have educators who take the time to inform them about the realities of different types of relationships while clearing up the many misconceptions about what it means to be gay, lesbian, transgender, transexual, or queer.