California Governor Jerry Brown moments ago signed SB-48, also known as the FAIR (Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful) Education Act, which states that California schools must include the contributions of gays, lesbians and transgender (LGBT) Americans, and the disabled, in its textbooks and in teaching of history and social studies classes.
As a bill, the FAIR Education Act passed the California Assembly 49-25, and has been on Governor Brown’s desk for the past seven days, with no indication from Brown, a Democrat, on which way he was leaning.
Activists on both sides have been lobbying Brown strongly, with Shannon Minter, legal director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, stating the bill, “is about so much more than history and social studies–and the other side certainly knows it.” Minter, who was the lead attorney arguing before the California Supreme Court to overturn Prop 8, added, SB-48 “is about breaking a very damaging cycle of silence and stigma. In that respect, this bill is every bit as important as efforts to end discrimination in marriage. It will change the way our society thinks about LGBT people, and help ensure that for the first time, we will have a generation of LGBT youth who are growing up seeing themselves reflected and included in public institutions.”
“Today we are making history in California by ensuring that our textbooks and instructional materials no longer exclude the contributions of LGBT Americans,†said Senator Mark Leno, the bill’s author, in a statement.
“Denying LGBT people their rightful place in history gives our young people an inaccurate and incomplete view of the world around them. I am pleased Governor Brown signed the FAIR Education Act and I thank him for recognizing that the LGBT community, its accomplishments and its ongoing efforts for first-class citizenship are important components of California’s history.â€
“Today marks a monumental victory for the LGBT equality movement as the struggle of the diverse LGBT community in California will no longer be erased from history,†said Equality California Executive Director Roland Palencia. “Thanks to the FAIR Education Act, California students, particularly LGBT youth, will find new hope and inspiration and experience a more welcoming learning environment.â€
“I am awed and humbled to be part of this historic moment,†said Carolyn Laub, Executive Director of Gay-Straight Alliance Network. “Today, we’ve written the latest chapter in the LGBT civil rights movement – one that will now be presented fairly and accurately in California schools. By signing the FAIR Education Act and ending the exclusion of the LGBT community from instructional materials, Governor Brown has realized the hopes of youth who have been fighting for safe and inclusive schools, where all students learn about our history and gain respect for each other’s differences as a result. This is a part of the American story that we can be proud to know all students will learn.”