Ted Koppel explains:

"Television has tended to focus - and Nightline has been no exception - on the issue of AIDS and on hate crimes. Television in general tends to focus only on the 'out and loud' sector of the gay community, what we have come to call the first 10 rows in the gay pride parade.

"This series will show a part of the gay community not often seen on television. As our viewers will see, the sexual aspect of gay relationships merely represents a small percentage of gay life. We were stunned to discover how many gays and lesbians, especially older people, spend many years of their lives in heterosexual marriages, raising children, and seeing their children have children of their own."

The five-part series will conclude with a live 90-minute town meeting anchored by Ted Koppel from Roanoke, Virginia. On September 22, 2000, a hate crime in Roanoke - the murder of a man in a local gay bar - galvanized a once fearful gay community to take a visible and vocal stand against violence. The local newspaper published a series of stories on Roanoke's gay community, which triggered strong reactions in the community, including cancelled subscriptions and lost advertising. Against the backdrop of the murder and a frank newspaper series, Roanoke citizens engaged in a very public conversation about homosexuality, and the Nightline town meeting will continue that conversation.

Monday, April 8's programming starts with a conversation with residents of a retirement community near Bradenton, Florida. The Palms of Manasota is the nation's first gay and lesbian retirement community, and many of the residents here spent a large part of their lives trying to live "straight," often while married. These gay retirees speak honestly and openly about coming to terms with their sexuality.A Matter of Choice? then examines the gay community through the eyes of the citizens of Roanoke, Virginia.

On Tuesday, April 9, Nightline will report on the murder of Danny Overstreet in a gay bar in Roanoke, and the reaction to a newspaper series on the gay community published by the local paper in the wake of the murder. Mr. Koppel will also have a discussion about homosexuality with four Roanoke-area religious leaders, a Methodist, a Muslim, a Roman Catholic and a Southern Baptist.

On Wednesday, April 10, Nightline profiles two sets of parents in the Roanoke area, a lesbian couple raising a child they had by artificial insemination, and a second couple - devout Southern Baptists - raising their children in an environment that reflects their moral values. The program also profiles a former Roanoke Commonwealth attorney who had to prosecute gays under Virginia state laws while he was living a secret gay life. Today he is a defense attorney for people charged under Virginia's sodomy and solicitation laws.

Gay teenagers are the focus of A Matter of Choice? on Thursday, April 11. The program profiles a young lesbian whose own difficult experience coming out as a teenager has inspired her to work with gay teens. Mr. Koppel also speaks with gay and lesbian teenagers from the Roanoke area who are grappling with their own issues of sexual identity.