Parents Clash over Gay Curriculum Proposal
A bill by Mark Leno would require textbooks to include gay history and portray it “in a positive light”
After a lesbian student at Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo joined with the American Civil Liberties Union in 2008 to accuse the local school district of discrimination, district officials agreed as part of a settlement to show films and assign homework depicting same-sex families, beginning in elementary school.
But one night last November, more than a dozen parents, rallied by community religious leaders, attacked the school board, asserting that their rights were being violated because they had no control over whether their children received such lessons.
“No one should take my right to tell me what can be shown to my child,” Cookie Gordon, a mother of two, told the board.
The clash was one of several related controversies at Bay Area schools. Polls show that the public’s stance against same-sex marriage is softening, and education about gay issues has expanded dramatically in recent years around the country, but experts suggest that the battle over what should and should not be a part of public school curriculums has just begun.
Ritch Savin-Williams, a professor of human development at Cornell University, said that the question of gay men and lesbians in the military was now over the hump, and that same-sex marriage was getting close to getting over the 50 percent mark in terms of popular support in California. But the issue of school curriculums, he said, “hits at something that’s far more difficult, and that’s children.”
California is poised to take a step sure to sharpen the debate. A bill introduced in December by State Senator Mark Leno, Democrat of San Francisco, would require all of the state’s history textbooks to include figures and events in gay history and portray them “in a positive light.”
To the many educators and gay rights advocates like Leno — one of the first two openly gay men elected to the Legislature — the need for the law is as self-evident as it is urgent.
“People oppose and fear the unfamiliar,” Leno said in an interview. “When grade-school students understand the arc of the L.G.B.T. movement over 40 years, that otherness begins to dissipate. That’s desperately needed right now.”
Educators point to several recently publicized suicides by gay teenagers as evidence that anti-gay bullying needs to be addressed head-on, in part by integrating gay studies into the curriculum.
Political observers believe that with Gov. Jerry Brown in office, Leno’s legislation is likely to become law. A similar measure passed the Legislature in 2006 but was vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Senate Education Committee is expected to take up the bill, the first of its kind in the country, this spring.
Conservative groups have promised to fight the Leno bill.
“These controversial issues don’t belong in the classroom, no matter how many times people vote on marriage,” said Karen England, a member of the State Central Committee of the California Republican Party. “The homosexual activists have repeatedly been pushing for more and more in sexual curriculum when our kids can’t read or write.”
For parents like those who attended the Vallejo board meeting in November, it is a question of their right to control their children’s education. State law does not allow parents to remove their children from particular lessons that are part of a set curriculum.
At the meeting, a mother angrily waved a crossword puzzle assigned her 9-year old daughter that included the word “lesbian.” (The clue: “Two women who love each other in a romantic way.”)
The parents were backed by Pastor P. Daniels Jefferson, the popular leader of the Vallejo Faith Organization, an influential evangelical Christian umbrella group. Jefferson said that while he opposed bullying, Vallejo’s Christians felt that their voice was being suppressed.
“When you call us haters, or bigoted, or unintelligent because we believe in God’s word,” Jefferson said, “that’s hate, that’s bigotry.”
Jefferson said Leno’s bill was another step in what he labeled a long-running gay political agenda to “queer” the schools. He called the next 20 years the “most critical” period in the state’s debate over gay rights. “Today’s children are tomorrow’s voters,” Jefferson said, “and, believe me, nobody’s stupid. People know that.”
In 2008, some of the most powerful television advertisements broadcast by the campaign for Proposition 8, the California ban on same-sex marriage, evoked images of children’s being taught same-sex marriage in school without parental knowledge.
Kim Dearing
I for one do not think it is appropriate to be teaching GRADE sch. children about ANY ANY ANY kind of sex AT ALL. All this time we never knew if Ben Franklin was gay or straight, or George Washington! It is nobodys business!!!!!!!!!! If they are teaching this garbage when my grandaughter gets in school I will personally take her out of P.S. and pay for her to go to a privale school. We have the RIGHT to decide WHAT our children are taught since WE PAY FOR IT!!!!!!
Kim Dearing
It is my fervent prayer that this piece of legislative garbage is never passed in Sanfrancisco, I do not care if it IS the friendliest to gays city on the globe. These are children, they do not need to be "groomed" to vote any way in particular. If they are having trouble with people accepting gay marriage etc. instead of trying to brain-wash young kids ( future voters) maybe they should be looking at WHY people think it is WRONG!!! The article states that they want to put gays in history books " with a positive spin on gays and lesbians. Why just the positive? Why not include how many have died from H.I.V. Why not include how many "gay" teenagers have committed suicide? This is outrageous!!!
Paul W
If you believe your kids are being "brainwashed" by the school system, by all means take her out and teach her exactly what you want, the way you want it to be taught, and nobody will condemn you for it.
Mary Franklin
Paul: You are so correct. I do believe my kids would be "brainwashed" into thinking gay's and lesbians are okay and that teaching about them in school is okay. Therefore I have taken my kids out of public school and now they attend private school where none of that gay/lesbian crap will be taught/forced upon them. Also, as they grow up I will make sure they know that there is a difference between God loving people and not those who prefer to accept this disgusting sickness in life. It has brought us HIV and AIDS and there is no way I, nor my children will ever accept the gay and lesbian lifestyle as normal.
shemuel
You are correct that this is 'grooming'.
(I grew in a homosexual household- still have hightmares.)
This is disgusting; I hope you folks will see that government schools have an agenda.
Use the private schools or home school for a real education.
Carly Cauthen
So we can't pray in schools or teach anything about God and what His Word says,but we can teach our kids that it's ok to be a homosexual?! I DON'T THINK SO! When I have a child if ANYONE EVER tries to teach them that sexual DEVIANCE is ok,they will be in BIG TROUBLE! "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. READ THE BIBLE FOLKS! Homosexuals WILL BE condemned!
Paul W
Carly - The Bible also says in Timothy 2-11:
"I permit no woman to teach or have authority over men, she is to remain silent."
Mary Franklin
Paul: But it's okay for some obnoxious, sicko gay to have authority over men and boys. i.e. Lambda?
Steven Le Vine
Are you KIDDING me? You're comparing some fictitious book of mythology and the right to proselytize it (one of MANY religions in the world) to teaching the history of a group of people? Do you not see the ridiculousness in that? You have CHURCHES for that -- not schools. It's religion. It's not grounded in reality. It's a belief system. If I believe that a leprechaun God will smite all of us with gold chips on our ends, that's wonderful. But I would think twice about shoving it down others' throats. Really, how uneducated can you people be? Seems like you shouldn't be the ones to complain about what's taught in school, when you yourselves obviously didn't even learn anything in school.
Do you also not realize you're in the same group of people who used to complain not to include anything about Black history in school curriculum? Or maybe you still believe that. They're not going to be teaching about sex -- because it has nothing to do with sex.
What loony toons!
Mary Franklin
What kind of history would gays/lesbians have as a group. Besides that who the heck cares what you have done as a gay group? The only thing I know of that your "group" has given us is HIV and AIDS. One doesn't have to teach about sex when it involves gays just the words themselves "gays" "lesbians" means those people who love others of the "SAME SEX". Speaking of loony toons, I believe that must mean you and your group of gays/lesbians.
Patrick Carroll
I am gay, and I cannot support this bill. I think that subjects involving the gay movement could and should be taught in history, and social studies classes, with people's opinion both pro and con expressed and discussed. But I'm sorry, requiring that something be taught "in a positive light" is propaganda pure and simple.
Steven Le Vine
Patrick, I'm sure all they meant by that is that they don't want people (such as the hominids above) writing badly about gay people. Not that the history itself will be spun in a positive light. Just that they won't try to defame gay people.
Mary Franklin
You have already opened the door to allow people to defame gay people by even suggesting this bill. Now people who may have been able to accept gays WON'T accept them at all. When gays try to force things on people to change their way of life all it does is turn us off! I for one will NEVER accept gays now.
P Miller
Not with my kids! It is this kind of crap that has made the homeschool community grow and prosper.
Steven Le Vine
Good way to make your kids just like you -- uneducated and bigoted. I feel sorry for them.
Bob Offer-Westort
Requesting that Bay Citizen remove posts that involve hate language.
Kurt Turner
Define "Hate Language". In my experience folks who want "Hate Language" swiped from a comment section merely desire to have opinions that they disagree with wiped from the record. Be careful what you ask for.
Jonathan Weber
Hi folks, I have deleted one thread here for being over the line with hate speech, in violation of our terms of service. Please keep it civil.
Shawn Smith
The hate-filled comments here are disgusting. Who do you people think you are opposing children being taught about homosexuality, acceptance, and equality. The lack of this education as mandated by conservative constituents as based upon conservative religious beliefs is the very root of homophobia--and the very reason we have 13 year old gay kids hanging themselves from trees. I was one of those kids, and 21 years later at 34 years old I am still fighting for my rights, not to mention paying school taxes for YOUR children to attend schools with curriculums that do not "allow" for acknowledgment that people like me exist. Your ignorance, bigotry, and misguided beliefs are criminal. Your religious beliefs DO NOT TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS. PERIOD. If you don't want your kids to learn this, take them the hell out of the public school system and teach your hatred, prejudice, and bigotry behind closed doors. Watch this video. Open your ignorant eyes. Learn something. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx8SsFESyus
Courtney Winterbauer
In response to Kim:
"maybe they should be looking at WHY people think it is WRONG!!! The article states that they want to put gays in history books " with a positive spin on gays and lesbians. Why just the positive? Why not include how many have died from H.I.V. Why not include how many "gay" teenagers have committed suicide? This is outrageous!!!"
I am a HS student in the eastbay at AHS and find that more often now, our textbooks are being updated (lately a constant rate) with information of modern America, all the way up to 2008 for our country's history (and even world history). Regardless, it should be taught in our school programs because if they were the second for-fronters in liberal, social, and political movements that radically redfined the United States for who they are (in the 1960s of the Sexual Revolution Period that sculpted political beliefs of the Cold War as well as the new openness to what once was a subculture of homosexuality). They deserve recognition for not only their social movement that has brought America to what it is today (including ignorant people like some of you), but they are a part of the American populace.
The books have covered the whites, the blacks, the chinese, japanese, french, africans; they have introduced to us learning the 5 main religions of the world including christianity, buddhism, hinduism, islam and judaism; out of all mentioned there is barely any information on the prominence of homosexuality and homosexuals themselves.
Whether or not they are written about in our books in positive or negative connotations (cannot legally make it negative or derogatory seeming as it will arise more issues), they at least need to be taught about.
Plus it is generally my generation and on that have this social acceptance of sexual modernity in pop culture which is constantly exposed to us. There is no harm in knowledge regardless if you accept the information taught in school or oppose it.
I mean I for example can completely oppose the information teaching about the KKK that outlines their practices, what they did, names, events, etc, and feel as though the school system is making me want join in what not. In school it is also a choice to listen or not and get informed. Like do you really want your kids being just as ignorant as you?
Jennifer Terry
@Mary - I've modified your comment by replacing the word "gay" with the word "black..."
/You have already opened the door to allow people to defame black people by even suggesting this bill. Now people who may have been able to accept blacks WON'T accept them at all. When blacks try to force things on people to change their way of life all it does is turn us off! I for one will NEVER accept blacks now./
This was what people said during the civil rights era.
As far as you or anyone else quoting scripture at me, make sure you have never had premarital sex, talked back to your parents, divorced or are loving and kind to someone you know has divorced, worn more than one type of cloth at any given time, etc.
People who cherry-pick from the bible to back up their bigotry... are still nothing more than bigots trying to justify their ignorance and hatred. Did you skip all those loving parts about how Jesus preached acceptance, hey wasnt he the guy who said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone?"