California Gov. Signs Bills Requiring Schools to Teach on Homosexuals
 Gov. Jerry Brown after he was sworn in on Jan. 3. (AP Images/Rich Pedroncelli) |
Also known as the Fair, Accountable, Inclusive and Respectful Education Act (FAIR Act), SB 48 was written by self-admitted homosexual state Sen. Mark Leno of San Francisco. The bill passed the Assembly Education committee on June 22, and on July 5 the state Assembly sent it through to Gov. Jerry Brown on a 49-25 vote.
“History should be honest,” Brown said in a statement. “This bill revises existing laws that prohibit discrimination in education and ensures that the important contributions of Americans from all backgrounds and walks of life are included in our history books. It represents an important step forward for our state, and I thank Senator Leno for his hard work on this historic legislation.”
The California Board of Education is now required by law to create textbooks and other materials that highlight the homosexual community's contributions to the economic, political and social development of California and the U.S. Daily Mail reports that although the bill will take effect in January, textbooks will not likely be changed until 2015.
The FAIR Act also requires that textbooks and materials—for students in kindergarten through 12th grade—must present lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, groups and lifestyles in a positive manner. Nothing negative or perceived to be negative about them can be presented.
According to Maryal Boumann, director of Pray California, the law will only affect public schools and does not apply to private schools, including church schools and home schooling.
“Today we are making history in California by ensuring that our textbooks and instructional materials no longer exclude the contributions of LGBT Americans,” Leno said. He went on to thank Brown for recognizing the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. Read more
No comments:
Post a Comment