Secaucus, NJ: When Peter de Vries, 55, and Timothy Carter bought their dream house, they knew it was beside a fire station, but figured they’d get used to the occasional noise from the sirens as the volunteer firefighters raced to a blaze. (At Right: Toronto Firemen participated in this year's Gay Pride Parade and apparently enjoyed frolicking with the bystanders.)

What they had not counted on was the homophobic attitude at the the North End Firehouse once the crew realized the new neighbors were gay.

In their suit, de Vries and Carter alleged harassment, discrimination, retaliation, negligence and violation of state civil rights laws.

The lawsuit named the fire department, the town, the police department, Fire Chief Frank Walters, Town Administrator Anthony Iacono, Mayor Dennis Elwell and 30 others including three firefighters who were forced to resign for their actions.

In one incident outlined in court documents, firefighters were having a "boisterous" party outside the station. The couple asked them to quiet down and the firefighters retaliated by throwing rocks at their house and issuing death threats to the men, according to the suit.

Complaints to the town went unanswered the suit said, and the couple eventually sold the house and moved out of town and filed a court suit against the town and everyone involved. In July they won a $2.8 million judgment against the town in court. The jury also ordered the town to pay $2 million in legal fees.

(Note from Ron: In these depressed times, you may be able to make a few million dollars by buying a house next to a homophobic fire house -if you can take the heat.)