Bowing to pressure from gay rights groups, a Newark school district has apologized for censoring a yearbook photo of a male student kissing his boyfriend.

The student, Andre Jackson, of East Side High School, had paid extra money for a personal page in the yearbook where the photo was to be featured. But following orders from the district superintendent, teachers used permanent markers to black out the photograph of Jackson and his boyfriend sharing a kiss.

The school district will make uncensored copies of the yearbook available, but students must request a new copy.

The apology comes after Garden State Equality, a gay rights group, criticized the district?s actions as homophobic and demanded distribution of unaltered yearbooks.

Jackson says the superintendent should have apologized personally to him and not through a press release.

Related information: Photos of gay couple censored in Newark yearbooks