08.08.06
Calif. Gay Curriculum Bill Gutted
The California assembly on Monday gutted a bill that would have required state textbooks to include the historical contributions of gay people, amending it to say only that school material should not be discriminatory toward gays. Lawmakers voted 56–2 to delete the provision at the request of the bill’s author, Sen.Sheila Kuehl, who had feared a gubernatorial veto
California already requires that African Americans, native peoples, Mexicans, Asians and Pacific Islanders be included in textbook descriptions of “the economic, political and social development of California and the United States of America, with particular emphasis on portraying the role of these groups in contemporary society.”
Kuehl’s bill would have added gays and lesbians to the list.
Now the bill, rather than being proactive, would simply prohibit any negative portrayal of gays in textbooks and other instructional material.
The original version passed the Senate in May (story) and the governor said he would veto it if it passed the Assembly.
Both gay and conservative groups across the country have been watching the progress of the bill. If the original measure had become law similar legislation could have been pursued in other states.