Governor Brown Signs Into Law Senate Bill 48 Requiring California Public Schools To Teach Contributions Of LGBT Community Throughout History

Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation Thursday that makes California the first state in the nation to require the inclusion of the contributions of gay, lesbian and transgender Americans in school history lessons and textbooks, according to a report by The Los Angeles Times. The legislation addresses omissions in history books, according to Gil Duran, a spokesman for the governor. "It’s an important step forward for the state of California,’’ Duran said. "It revises existing law to make sure people are not excluded from history books. History should reflect reality." The bill by state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) had sparked hot debate in the Legislature where it was pushed through by the Democratic majority. Republicans argued it forces a "gay agenda" on students, but Leno said it would reduce bullying by educating young people about the accomplishments of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, community. “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. “Denying LGBT people their rightful place in history gives our young people an inaccurate and incomplete view of the world around them." The governor’s decision, predictably, was criticized by Benjamin Lopez of the Anaheim-based Traditional Values Coalition, who said the schools should be focusing on doing better on important skills such as reading, writing and math. "It’s a sad day for the state of California," said Lopez, legislative analyst and advocate for the group. "We have failed at our core educational mission and yet we are now going to inject gay studies into the classrooms. It is absurd and offensive."