Governor Jerry Brown has an opportunity to help dispel the persistent lies about LGBT Americans whipped up by the pro-Proposition 8 camp. He can do that by signing state Senator Mark Leno's SB 48, the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful Education Act. The governor has only five days left in which to act on this important piece of legislation, and we urge him to sign the bill.
The FAIR Act, as it is known, would ensure that the historical contributions of LGBT people are accurately and fairly portrayed in instructional materials by adding LGBT people to the existing list of under-represented cultural and ethnic groups already included in the state's inclusionary education requirements.
Earlier generations well recall that when they were in school, textbooks did not teach about Harvey Milk, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, or LGBT contributions to American history. The history that is usually taught about famous figures such as Bayard Rustin, James Baldwin, Walt Whitman, Noel Coward, Gertrude Stein, and Herman Melville omits their sexual orientation. Leno's bill would correct these omissions in future materials.
But more importantly, the FAIR Act would benefit all students, gay and straight alike.
Over the past 15 years or so, kids have been coming out at earlier ages. That has resulted in positive developments like the popular gay-straight alliances on school campuses. But coming out has also led to bullying and anti-gay violence. Bullying, of course, has been present in schools forever, and it is usually students who are perceived as "different" that are the targets of teasing or worse. It is not uncommon, as was widely reported last year, for some to take the drastic step of ending their own lives because they could not take the torment any longer.
For LGBTQ students, the FAIR Act would inform them that they are not alone, that there have always been LGBT people in society. Such inclusive education materials would improve students' self-esteem and self-respect, inspiring hope that they, too, can aspire to dreams of pursuing any career.
For straight students, the bill is perhaps even more important because they will be exposed to information about LGBT people and the many contributions they have made to society. Kids can often sense at an early age when others are different from themselves. The bill would give faculty inclusive information to all their students about people who may be different and who were often discriminated against. Indeed, teachers need more tools, not fewer, when it comes to LGBT history.
As Leno has noted, "We can't tell our youth that it's okay 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 happen to be LGBT."
Inclusive education is not a partisan issue either. When Leno's bill came up in the Assembly last week, Republican Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher of San Diego voted for it. Fletcher, a moderate, is eyeing a run for mayor in that city – likely against an out lesbian – but nonetheless, his support of the bill shows that LGBT rights can be seen as mainstream.
During the Prop 8 campaign three years ago, the Yes on 8 side skillfully used fear to convince voters to strip away rights from same-sex couples. Television ads bombarded the airwaves with messaging that instilled panic in families: Kids would learn about same-sex marriage or gay sex in schools. There was no end to their exaggerated lies. The No on 8 campaign never did develop an effective counterargument and even now, nearly three years after the election, anti-gay groups are still using those same tactics. Here's the bottom line: kids should be taught the truth about the contributions of LGBT people. Leno is absolutely right when he states, "We are selectively censoring history when we exclude LGBT Americans, or any other group of people, from our textbooks and instructional materials."
No more censorship of our lives. Governor, sign SB 48.