In California, volunteers for the Stop SB48 campaign have begun to collect signatures for a ballot referendum to repeal the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education law, which will require that school curricula and textbooks include information about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans. In order for the referendum to appear on the ballot, its supporters would need to gather 504,760 signatures from registered voters by October 12.
This is the first law on record requiring that schools teach both about the contributions of LGBT Americans and those with disabilities. Roland Palencia, executive director of Equality California, described the law as “a monumental victory for the LGBT civil rights movement.” Opponents of the law claim that the new law would restrict parental rights and overshadow religious criticisms of homosexuality. Although leaders in the Proposition 8 campaign, which bans same-sex marriage in California, Mormon and Catholic Church leaders have not joined the Stop SB48 campaign.
In July, California Governor Jerry Brown (D) signed the FAIR Education Act into la. It will go into effect in January, although textbooks will not undergo revisions until 2015.
Huffington Post 9/3/11; Feminist Daily Newswire 7/15/11
