Opponents Mobilize to Overturn California’s New Law Mandating Gay History in Public Schools
- Posted on July 27, 2011 at 7:50am by
Billy Hallowell
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (The Blaze/AP) — California’s secretary of state on Tuesday cleared a group to begin collecting signatures for a ballot referendum to overturn a first-in-the-nation law requiring public schools to teach the contributions of gays and lesbians in social studies lessons.
The bill, SB48, was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this month, making California the first state to mandate such lessons in public school curriculum. The requirement is set to take effect in the 2013-14 school year.
It took opponents less than two weeks to draft the referendum challenging the move. At a time of budget cuts, California schools should be focused on improving student performance and lowering the high school dropout rate, said Paulo Sibaja, a spokesman for the group Stop SB48.
“Politicians have no business writing textbooks. It should be left to the historians and academic experts,” she said.
Backers of the referendum will need to gather 504,760 signatures from registered voters by Oct. 12 to qualify for the next statewide ballot. Sibaja said paid and volunteer signature-gatherers will be used to try to meet the requirement.
Supporters of SB48 said it will teach students to be more accepting and perhaps help end bullying of gay students. It also ensures that students are taught about the contributions of people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender.
“It’s important for us right now to educate Californians about what the bill does and does not do,” said Rebekah Orr, a spokeswoman for Equality California, a leading lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights advocacy group in California. “We want to be clear that this bill is about teaching historical figures and not just LGBT people.”
The new law also requires California public schools to teach the contributions of disabled people. Orr said Equality California and its partners are prepared to fight the referendum if it qualifies for the ballot.
Many conservatives opposed the law, saying it would teach children to accept homosexuality. The law has drawn criticism from some churches and conservative groups that argue such instruction would expose students to a subject that some parents find objectionable.
California law already requires schools to teach about women, African Americans, Mexican Americans, entrepreneurs, Asian Americans, European Americans, American Indians and labor. The Legislature over the years also has prescribed specific lessons about the Irish potato famine and the Holocaust, among other topics.
The new law requires the California Board of Education and school districts to use textbooks and other teaching materials that cover the contributions and roles of sexual minorities. The legislation leaves it to local school boards to decide how to implement the requirement. It does not specify a grade level for the instruction to begin.
A telephone message left for the bill’s author, Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, wasn’t immediately returned. His office said the senator was out of town for the Legislature’s summer recess. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, who carried the bill in the Assembly, also was out of town.
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Comments (151)
libertylover55
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:54amI can see the time coming when many people will either put their children in private schools or home school if they can. That is the only way I see to fight the public education system if the people can’t overturn these corrupt politicians in CA.
momprayn
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 9:46amSorry – check on that too (home schools) – they are the libs enemies and therefore they are trying to get rid of them too by killing them off by requiring too many ridculous regulations, etc. They are on their list. That’s one of their main ways to control the masses & indoctrinate, produce more Dem voters….using taxes and regulations & any legislation they can get passed by their activist judges. They don’t want the public to be able to help others either – they want to be the sole source of all that. We found out when we tried to send money to our daughter who needed it very badly that we were limited as to the amount we can send each year or else be taxed!! They make it as hard as they can to herd all of us to where we are dependent on the Govn’t & get rid of private sector. Case in point – the guy in charge of coal mining jobs just quit because of the Govn’t regulations. Wake up America.
Report Post »robert
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 1:19pmCalifornia is on the edge of collapse financially and socially. It will be good when it finally implodes altogether.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 1:23pmEvil doers of California have already countered against Homeschooling, parent will need a teaching degree.
Report Post »IntegrityFirst
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 1:37pm@Robert, California good riddance. Besides, once California implodes and sinks into the ocean, we’ll have an even 56 states.
Report Post »SUPPLY_SIDE
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 1:43pmIs this simply “Gay Awareness” to be taught in our public schools; changed to “Gay History” to make it sound like a legitimate subject?
Report Post »Let’s also teach:
- Sexually Deviant Politicians History
- Current Immoral Political Figures History
- Corrupt Union History
chazman
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 6:54pmAgreed. All you “good” Kalifornians should home school your kids until you can take your state back from the Liberal Marxist who want to rule you into the ground!
Report Post »kindling
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 7:17pmSchools are supposed to be teaching our children how to learn. If they just stick to the basics, life and the internet will fill in the rest. I want them to stop making the classroom into progressive indoctrination centers. Sexual orientation has nothing to do with anything in school. We teach our kids about prominent individuals throughout history but we have never talked about their sexual activities and we don’t need to start now.
Report Post »Consentiondum
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 9:48pmSo… what? You’d rather ignore the fact that the gay rights movement is part of history? Or that gays are part of history and had a hand in it? I don’t think I understand the argument… Stonewall was a significant event, so it’s part of history. Homosexuality in Greek culture and Greek military culture is part of history–one that as far as I know is already taught in schools. Da Vinci was quite probably homosexual/bisexual, something else I think is brought up in most classrooms. Homosexuals were killed in the holocaust when found out… another thing already in the classroom.
So, California wants to add a little bit more by requiring that students learn about a few homosexuals that have contributed to society… who cares, they have already heard the word homosexual in history class. It will probably be less than a full day’s lesson anyway, like when we learned about George Washington Carver to satisfy the law that we learn about Blacks’ contribution to society.
Do you honestly believe they are going to go over these people’s sex lives in detail in the classroom?
Report Post »scarebear83
Posted on July 28, 2011 at 5:03pm@ Consentiondum- “Da Vinci was quite probably homosexual/bisexual, something else I think is brought up in most classrooms.” I don’t know when or where you went to school but I was never taught this, it never came up. Now if it did it was because someone leaned over in their chair and made the smirky comment to their buddy. But Da Vinci’s bedroom behavior, Mark Twain’s, Abraham Lincoln’s, Einstein’s, Hitler’s, Ghandi’s, George Washington’s, Harriet Tubman’s, Rosa Parks’ sexuality was never discussed. And it didn’t need to be. I nor anyone else need to know what a person did in the privacy of their bedroom to know these people made history apart from what they did or didn’t do in their bedrooms.
Report Post »jharper
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:53amRemember E-bonics? Ah—California. The land of fruits and nuts.
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 4:01pmYea, WERE there any contributions by gays, lesbians and cross genders?
Report Post »Consentiondum
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 10:12pm@Loriann22
I suppose if you don’t believe that Alexander the Great, Plato, Socrates or Aristotle did anything for society. Then no, there weren’t.
Homosexuals are also disproportionately represented in arts and literature… Might as well throw out a giant chunk of all the classics… and then we are all good and straight.
Report Post »Harvey
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:50amThe people in California that dont like the way things are going get off your backside and take back your School Boards,County Courthouses and Congressional seats and the Governors Office.The Churches ,and the Consercative Groups sat back and let these socialist and San Fransico idiots take control of everything and now instead of doing something about it your doing the same as you usual do ,cry ,whine,blame someone else.The only way to stop their sickening homesexual agenda is to get off your backsides,get in a Good God fearing Church that has a Pastor thats not afraid of makeing someone mad and get it done.
Report Post »Joe Palooka
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:50amSchools have become nothing more than day-care centers that churn out teenagers with few, if any real skills. Cut the budgets in half and teach math, science, english and the trades. Most children, boys and girls, would be better off learning how to build a house, fix a car, install plumbing, electrical connections, HVAC, and drafting. Most teachers are only there for the summer vacations and because they have no real skills or talents, or if they did, they lost them when they were dumbed-down by the system they now hold up as worth something.
As for the homosexual teachings, what piggery and filth. We don’t need to worry about nuclear wars and such, as the thing that kills off countless millions will be the microscopic bugs that attack those with weak immune systems, such as perverts, degenerates, adulterers and maggots — all best represented by the homosexuals, lesbians, bi-degenerate, trans-former-sexual-whatever-freakshow.
Report Post »jb.kibs
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:49amgays…. the worlds genetic wastoids…
Report Post »REPUB1
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:47am“It also ensures that students are taught about the contributions of people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender”. yep A.I.D.S & H.I.V some contributions to humanity!!!!!! SICK SICK
Report Post »brado9505
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 4:07pmWhy do they have to say their sexuality? How about accomplishments w/out gay or whatever? You never hear the white guy who did something, etc. I’m so glad I left CA.
Report Post »JohnSo
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:46amAnd I am sure if this passes, irrespective of the voting public’s wishes the judges will overturn their vote.
Report Post »nysparkie
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:40amGO! team GO! Fight team Fight. get the signatures. get the votes. GO Team GO! THEN I want you to come to New York and help us with overturning our illegal law. Passed by back closed door deals in violation of New York’s open door doctrine. Votes gotten by political pressure and paybacks. CR AP as usual in NY.
Report Post »debkk9
Posted on July 29, 2011 at 2:09amif you think it’s bad in NY…try living in Illinois :(
Report Post »let us prey
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:36amCheck out who the safe school czar is. The pretender in chief appointed this freak to look out for the welfare of our children.
Report Post »rsletto
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:34amsick minded people. its just a push for homosexual legal marriages. i believe the thought process go a little like this; indoctrinate the children (sorry they like to say educate) and make them “tolerant” then in their voting years they will think back and vote in the gays favor because of the indoctrination…also how about teaching TRUE American history in our schools.
Report Post »Autumknight
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:31amWhen people make great contributions to America, that is historic. Why on earth does anybody need to know what their sexual orientation is?
Report Post »PIL
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 9:16amWell, we do talk about Martha Washington and Eleanor Roosevelt so it‘s not like the sexuality of historical figures isn’t well discussed.
Report Post »http://libertarians4freedom.blogspot.com/
Autumknight
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 10:18amlol, yeah, those hot babes make my day : )
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:23amIt is up to the parents to say no based on religious grounds. I don’t see how Libs can force this on anyone. Could they force Muslims eat pork? I cant see how this would hold up in court.
Report Post »simplygilly
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:23amWhat is “gay history”? A history of anal intercourse? I’m offended. Let’s be fair and balanced. If it’s really important for children to be educated and tested on the history of sodomy, then children should also be taught the history of heterosexuality. Will the courses include “how to have safe and fun anal intercourse” videos?
Report Post »Striker
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:20amI am a big State’s Rights guy. If the people of Cal. want to teach their kids that “name your gay person” is important not because of their accomplishment, but who they decide to have sex with, then they should be able to do it. However, if the people of Cal speak up I think you will find about 85% of the state will oppose this utterly stupid idea. The gay/lesbain crowed is tring to do everything they can to normalize their immoral lifstyle.
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:27amNotice Brown’s hands when signing this bill – it’s almost like he would like it to be incognito. Was this signing due to pressure from his contributors or is this what he believes to be right. That is one thing we never know with most of our politicians. I hope the citizens of CA speak loud and clear on this issue. What choice YOU make are YOUR choices and they should not be forced on others – especially students who can’t escape the classroom.
Report Post »aesaac
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:32amand what about the contributions of people that are 5′6″ and people with green eyes, or little people, or the contributions of siamese twins or gay siamese twins for that matter
Report Post »trv1
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 3:33pmTelling them that they shouldn’t normalize their, in your eyes, immoral lifestyle is like me telling you to stop attempting to rationalize your foolish religious beliefs. But I don’t do that because I could care less what people are doing unless it is affecting me negatively. Also, homosexuality is pretty relevant throughout history. The Greeks and the Romans were both incredibly gay societies, read up on it you uneducated fool.
Report Post »Greenwood
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 4:04pm@TRV1…………Maybe that’s the reason those empires fell iin the first place.( moral decay ).
Report Post »zurie
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:19amI wonder if they will include the fact that 40% of all HIV cases in the past 10 years have been gay men. Or the fact that children that are sexually abused are seven times more likely to be homosexual. Or that gay people suffer from higher percentages of depression brought on by their own lifestyle.
Report Post »brado9505
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 4:11pmI’d be depressed too if I had to remember being sodomized by another guy!
Report Post »biohazard23
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:18amLet the counties in SoCal secede then give the rest of CA the big heave-ho. Actually, while we’re at it, let’s just cut off Oregon and Washington from the rest of the country, too. If they want to live in a liberal nanny state, then let them do it ON THEIR OWN DIME. I‘d love to see just how long the People’s Republic of the Left Coast would last…..
Report Post »let us prey
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:10amThe fools in the cesspool got exactly what they voted for. The gov is a joke and we should wall this place off from the rest of us.
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:08amYou go, REAL AMERICANS! Spread the LIGHT and the cockroaches run to darkness!
Proud of you for standing for AMERICA!!!
Report Post »BIGJAYINPA
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:07amI don’t understand the uproar. After all it is California and we all know that we lost those people years ago. Even if you are successful one of those Cali Courts will mandate the issue and that will be that. Focus your efforts where it will help and write California off, stick a fork in them, they are done…..Just sayin’
Report Post »one years food ration like glenn says
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:46amThe problem is the rest of the country tries to follow in “California’s” footsteps..it’s a precursor of new laws.. They say, see California has this law and we should too… Sorry but that’s the way it is….I can‘t see how this is education you can’t ‘ teach tolerance if the person that you are trying to teach doesn’t want to hear it, even at a young age.. I would NEVER accept this as moral behavior no matter what they say about it.. It’s disgusting and should be kept in their own homes and bedrooms.. It’s bad enough that they let gay couples adopt children, that just sets them up to be gay ..Look at mommy and mommy kiss… Rediculous.. Liberal gays are always vocal about being recognized as normal but conservative gays ( which there are plenty believe it or not} are quiet and just LIVE their lives the way they want never making a fuss ..
Report Post »NOBALONEY
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:07am9th Circut rules!
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:06amSo they are called “sexual minorities” now. Good grief. The liberals are putting everything and everyone into a class now. Note that the term “minorities” will now open gays up to all sorts of grants and scholarships not available to anyone else. Don’t believe me? just go to Mc Donalds and enjoy your apples while you ponder how our country has come to this.
Report Post »moreteaplease
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 10:46amNo doubt whatsoever and the taxpayers will get put over the barrel for it.
Report Post »GRAMPA-D-NH
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:06amAnother example of how the socialist agenda in public schools lead to our children scoring at the bottom in science and math for first world countries. 1 + 1 is “duuhhhhh” but Adam and Steve is “cool”.
Report Post »freeus
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:24am“The Hand That Rocks The Cradle Is The Hand That Rules The World”
Report Post »Where do I sign?
smithclar3nc3
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 7:59amThe answer is simple close the DOE Washington has dumped trillions upon trillions in the DOE since it was established in the 1970′s the drop out rate has only increased and the caliber of student has only dropped. School are state property and the Federal government has NO BUSINESS being involved in it.
Report Post »matt708
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 7:57amwe should all be up on arms with california for using tax payor money for thier socialist programs and illegal immigration. stop all federal subsidies to them. if the citizens want to take care of illegals pay for it out of your own pocket
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 7:54amEvil doesn’t fight righteousness directly. Evil takes us indirectly such as by way of State Education.
Whether you have kids in the public education or not, please attend those public hearings. Bring friends along and make it a social event.
Report Post »DeannaRae
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:19am@Poverty Sucks
I agree that parents should attend the meetings. Better yet, run for the school board, get involved with political groups, infiltrate every governmental organization you can find. Stop whining on the sidelines. TAKE it back.
Report Post »NJTMATO
Posted on July 27, 2011 at 8:44amHow many in CA read The Blaze? Every one that does needs to go to the meetings….the state of that State leads me to believe that there aren’t many reading this site. Gay history is SO unimportant …..it is beyond me why the feel the need to teach anything even remotely close to such a thing….How about the English language and American history? How about math and science and things that matter. I don’t care who you sleep with…or why…that is between you and God.
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