California Keeps Its History Straight

SACRAMENTO, CA -- State Senator Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) has given up her effort to pass a bill that would require California schools to recognize the contributions of gays and lesbians throughout history.

Faced with a certain veto by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kuehl unveiled amendments Monday to Senate Bill 1437 that delete any requirement to alter curriculum.

"All that's left in the bill now is adding sexual orientation to a long-standing law that prohibits the adoption of official teaching materials or the conducting of school activities that reflect adversely on people on the basis of race, religion, gender and so on," the senator told The San Francisco Chronicle. "I'm very disappointed that the governor twisted our arms on this."

California already requires that African Americans, native peoples, Mexicans, Asians and Pacific Islanders be included in textbook descriptions of "the economic, political and social development of California and the United States of America, with particular emphasis on portraying the role of these groups in contemporary society."

Supporters of the bill had hoped that publicizing the contributions of gays and lesbians would have given pride to homosexual students and promoted tolerance among heterosexual peers.

"It would have raised everybody's consciousness," said openly gay Assemblyman Mark Leno.

Though the new SB 1437 will not mandate curriculum changes, Kuehl said it could be more acceptable to Schwarzenegger and still represent a "small step forward" in gay rights.