Teachg Gay History Public Schools: A Possible Mandate California

Contents:

• SHOULD SCHOOLS TEACH HISTORY OF GAY RIGHTS AMERI?
• TEACHG GAY HISTORY PUBLIC SCHOOLS: A POSSIBLE MANDATE CALIFORNIA
• LGBT MOVEMENT ANIZG TO MANDATE “GAY HISTORY” SCHOOLS ACROSS AMERI.
• CALIFORNIA BRGS GAY HISTORY INTO THE CLASSROOM

SHOULD SCHOOLS TEACH HISTORY OF GAY RIGHTS AMERI?

Should they regnize the name of ex nun Jean O'Leary who beme a gay rights activist and -found Natnal Comg Out Day? The Illois law stat that "the teachg of history of the Uned Stat shall clu a study of the rol and ntributns of lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people the history of this untry and this state.

”A rear asked me whether I thought Geia would ever nsir such a any time fact, I thk ’s more likely we would see a Geia lawmaker attempt to follow Alabama’s example and ban mentn of homosexualy schools. Alabama is among six stat that have passed what is sometim lled “no promo homo” laws.

Acrdg to the Gay, Lbian & Straight Edutn Network:Laws prohibg the "promotn of homosexualy" are lol or state tn laws that exprsly forbid teachers of health/sexualy tn om discsg lbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) people or topics a posive light – if at all. Acrdg to GLSEN, the Alabama law appli to sexual health tn where class “mt emphasize, a factual manner and om a public health perspective, that homosexualy is not a liftyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual nduct is a crimal offense unr the laws of the state. ”In South Carola, health tn “may not clu a discsn of alternate sexual liftyl om heterosexual relatnships cludg, but not limed to, homosexual relatnships except the ntext of stctn ncerng sexually transmted diseas.

TEACHG GAY HISTORY PUBLIC SCHOOLS: A POSSIBLE MANDATE CALIFORNIA

”But there is a move away om such laws, acrdg to GLSEN:For example, North Carola, Arizona, Utah, and several other stat repealed existg "no promo homo" provisns the procs of revisg their larger sexual health tn laws.

Natnally, repealg the laws is polilly popular, pecially as current trends ph sexual tn the directn of mandatg factually and scientifilly accurate ntent around HIV and Jersey and Colorado also passed laws last year llg for the cln of LGBTQ people and other margalized groups tn the New Jersey law, schools mt teach about the polil, enomic and social ntributns of gay and transgenr people, as well as those wh Colorado bill requir stunts to learn the "the history, culture, and social ntributns of Amerin Indians, Latos, Ain Amerins, and Asian Amerins, the lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr dividuals wh the mory groups, the ntributns and persecutn of relig mori, and the tersectnaly of signifint social and cultural featur wh the muni. When he took office a year ago, Jared Polis was the first openly gay man elected ernor Amerin history.

" It stat that "the teachg of history the Uned Stat shall clu a study of the rol and ntributns of lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people the history of this untry. Dpe this new wave of efforts to tegrate LGBT ntent to the classroom, six stat – Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carola and Texas – still have laws prohibg the "promotn of homosexualy. " The laws, also known as "no pro homo" laws, prohib schools om teachg lbian, gay or bisexual people or topics a posive light health or sexual tn class.

LGBT MOVEMENT ANIZG TO MANDATE “GAY HISTORY” SCHOOLS ACROSS AMERI.

Alabama law, for example, stat that when discsg sexual health tn, "class mt emphasize, a factual manner and om a health perspective, that homosexualy is not a liftyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual nduct is a crimal offense unr the laws of the state. Mark Leno (D-San Francis), the FAIR Edutn Act "ensur the historil ntributns of lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people are accurately and fairly portrayed stctnal materials by addg [LGBTQ+] people to the existg list of unr-reprented cultural and ethnic groups already clud the state's clnary tn requirements. "The legislatn was backed by the LGBTQ+ advocy groups Equaly California and the GSA Network, the latter a natnwi anizatn to support Gay-Straight Allianc schools.

"The bill was signed to law by Ameri's first openly gay ernor, Jared Polis, shortly after Colorado passed a statewi LGBTQ+ nondiscrimatn bill and legislatn banng nversn therapy on mors. The legislatn, which passed 51-7 the Hoe and 21-5 the Senate, lls upon schools to teach the "perspectiv of dividuals who are of Native Amerin, Ain, Asian, Pacific Islanr, Chino, Lato or Middle Eastern scent; are women; or are disabled; immigrants or refuge; or are lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenr. The legislatn, a broad tn bill addrsg var amic requirements, requir that "the teachg of history [ public schools] shall clu a study of the rol and ntributns of lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people the history of this untry and this state.

CALIFORNIA BRGS GAY HISTORY INTO THE CLASSROOM

To rectify the problem, lawmakers have troduced a bill that requir the teachg of gay history schools. Material that reflects adversely on gays or particular religns would be banned om classroom teachg as well.

Supporters add that this legislatn would fill an obv gap the state's current social studi curriculum and possibly curb anti-gay sentiment and attus that often lead to bullyg of gay children schools. "This vio looks at the historic moments for the gay rights movement that are often overlooked schools. No one is suggtg, and no one, as far as I know the morn age, has ever suggted that people who are gay not be clud history.

They do not believe public school teachers should be lled to make a value judgment on the gay liftyle if they are unfortable dog so. Durg one tense hearg before the Senate Edutn Commtee, Robert Evans, a pastor om a California church, wanted to know how the schools would be able to balance a tw mandate that elimat a bias agast gay people while fairly reprentg religns that do not embrace of the opponents of the bill, Sen.