Politics & Government

Bill promoting LGBT Contributions in Schools Heads to Governor

Assembly approves bill allowing the inclusion of historical contributions of LGBT individuals Tuesday.

A bill allowing the inclusion of LGBT historical figures in school education only needs the governor’s signature to be signed into law.

The California State Assembly passed Senate Bill 48, also called the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act Tuesday in a 49-25 vote, adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s list of minority groups with anti-discrimination protections.

The bill, authored by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and co-sponsored by Equality California and Gay-Straight Alliance Network, pushes for fair and unbiased representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and their contributions in social science courses.

Find out what's happening in Glendorawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"The struggle of the multicultural and multiethnic LGBT community in California is one of the greatest stories yet to be told," said Equality California Executive Director Roland Palencia in a press statement. "The FAIR Education Act will ensure that public schools acknowledge the heroism of individuals and communities who in spite of countless barriers continuously overcome adversity." 

Bill supporters say fair and accurate portrayals of LGBT individuals is critical in creating safe school environments for LGBT students.

Find out what's happening in Glendorawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We are selectively censoring history when we exclude LGBT Americans, or any other group of people, from our textbooks and instructional materials," said Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). "We can't tell our youth that it's OK to be yourself and expect them to treat their peers with dignity and respect when we deliberately deny them accurate information about the historical contributions of Americans who happened to be LGBT."

Read more on Senate Bill 48, with a


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here