Toyota Repair: gear shift stuck, fuse panel, gear shift

Question
I have a 97 Avalon that will not allow me to shift out of park. At first I thought it was perhaps the security system but it appears to be working fine. What else should I look at?

Answer
First make sure the brake lights are working, if not check the "stop" fuse in the fuse panel under the cover on the left lower dash, if the fuse is good it's probably the stop light switch, if the stop lights do work let me know and I will have some more information for a possible solution.