California Senate Bill 1437 begins:
Existing law prohibits instruction or school sponsored activities that reflect adversely upon persons because of their race, sex, color, creed, handicap, national origin, or ancestry. Existing law prohibits the State Board of Education and the governing board of any school district from adopting textbooks or other instructional materials that contain any matter that reflects adversely upon persons because of their race, sex, color, creed, handicap, national origin, or ancestry. This bill would revise the list of characteristics included in these provisions to include race or ethnicity, gender, disability, nationality, sexual orientation, and religion.
The introduction says that the legislation would merely amend various sections of California law to add gender and sexual orientation — heterosexual or otherwise — to the categories of people that are already protected from sweeping stereotypes and discrimination in the schools.
In fact, the legislation goes a bit farther than that: A couple of clauses within the bill add discussion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender history and culture to the required content of social studies courses. That would certainly be enough to annoy cultural conservatives.
But instead of criticizing the gay-pride clauses within the legislation, Focus on the Family took the low road on April 5. Collecting quotations from antigay activist Robert Knight and a California religious-right outfit, Focus parrots a string of false allegations in order to discredit the entire bill.
Ron Prentice of the California Family Council falsely states that the legislation would “reflect negatively upon historic faith perspectives in public education.” The legislation only does this if one’s “faith” consists primarily of intentional ignorance and bigotry.
Prentice implies that the legislation gives special treatment to gender and sexual orientation. In fact, it treats them no differently than other categories that are undeserving of sweeping defamation and discrimination in the public schools.
Knight — front man for Beverly LaHaye’s Concerned Women for America — inaccurately states that the legislation deals with gender “in such a way as to deny that there are really naturally born boys and girls.” The legislation does not prevent teaching of standard gender roles, nor does it define or redefine gender; the bill merely prevents defamation by schools against atypical gender roles.
Given an opportunity to tell the facts and criticize one portion of a California bill, Focus on the Family unfortunately has chosen to disseminate untruths as a means to defend bigotry and sexism in public schools.
Mike, our brains are running in the same groove this week. I was just getting ready to write something about this bill.
The big fearful things that CRI thinks this bill would do are already law.
“Prentice said SB 1437 would prevent textbooks, instructional materials or teaching content that would “adversely affect persons because of their gender — either real or perceived — or sexual orientation.””
and Knight said:
“”When the bill forces teachers to talk only positively about homosexuality, what it’s saying is you have to lie about it,” he said. “You can’t bring in the negative health data, all the emotional consequences, and the effects on families.”
But the law is already in place:
“60044. No instructional materials shall be adopted by any governing board for use in the schools that, in its determination, contains:
(a) Any matter reflecting adversely upon persons because of their race or ethnicity, gender, disability, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, or occupation.
(b) Any sectarian or denominational doctrine or propaganda contrary to law.”
Of course, for a student, some of this information will be important or redundant (because of the positive accomplishments of their own gay family members.)
There is nothing ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ about homosexuality, but a serious reality: that it’s an identity, there are people who triumphed in history or who were destroyed in history because of HUMAN pogroms against them.
I resent this attitude as much as I would if someone didn’t ever want to mention Anti Semitism, nor the accomplishments of Jews.
It would be hard to discuss homosexuality without homophobia and it’s results, now wouldn’t it?
It’s a teaching moment for youngsters to understand if ONLY negative things are said about an entire group, and NOTHING good…that’s called prejudice.
That’s important to learn too.
Robert Knight lives under the illusion that the “negatives” about homosexuality(which, of course, his own organization has so meticulously researched) need to be presented, but would be livid if, for example, instructional materials were introduced to trash evangelical con artists into the abyss. . .wonder why?
These people have absolutely no moral or ethical foundation, and they are most certainly not christians. And what they so stupidly cannot figure out is that the public is increasingly becoming aware that their constant tantrums are exactly the reason why gays are marginalized – and that THEY are the negatives which affect gay lives.
I just wish the legislaters would stand up and respond to these charlatons in just that way, too…by telling them that they have an obligation to protect ALL citizens from the manufactured junk and lies which these people continually attempt to impose on others. California, like any state with thinking people, would never subjugate their children to the upbringing of such notorious abusers.
Hmmm… fundamentalists reconstructing facts or omitting information to suit their needs? NEVER!!!