California bill would require textbooks to address contributions of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender persons in U.S. history
A California Senate committee has approved a bill that would require textbooks to address the contributions of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender persons to California and U.S. history. The bill now goes to the full Senate. Senator Sheila Kuehl, the state's first openly gay legislator and the bill's sponsor, says, "Our community is invisible in all of the teaching material, so that our students are never, ever given any information about the fact that somebody who did something good was a gay person. That changes the way you feel about someone." According to bill supporters, gay and lesbian students are less likely to feel isolated and drop out of school if they see themselves represented in the material they learn at school. However, opponents say the bill encourages homosexuality. The gay rights movement should not be "mandated in our curriculum," argues Karen England, executive director of the Capitol Resource Institute, a conservative "pro-family" group. "This conversation belongs in the bedroom and not in the classroom." Senator Bill Morrow argues that the bill is over inclusive because it mentions a person's sexual orientation even if this was irrelevant to his or her contribution. Sen. Kuehl responds that it is necessary to report historical figures' sexual orientation because of the lack of role models for gay and lesbian students. Current state law prohibits the state board from adopting textbooks containing material that portrays people negatively because of their race, sex, color, creed, handicap, national origin, or ancestry. In addition, the law requires textbooks to include the contributions of "Native Americans, African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, European Americans and members of other ethnic and cultural groups to the total development of California and the United States." Randy Thomasson, president of the Campaign for Children and Families (CCF), criticizes state legislators for spending time on this issue. "While half the Hispanic and black students drop out of school, this Legislature is sexually indoctrinating our students," he says. CCF plans to ask Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to veto this or any similar bill. A spokesperson for the governor says he will not make such a commitment because he does not take positions on bills before they come before him.
Contra Costa TimesBy Juliet Williams (Associated Press)
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