Notes

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — California second-graders will take lessons about a part of life that had not been part of classrooms before. Teachers will discuss families that have two moms or two dads. Then, in fourth grade, they will hear how New Yorker Harvey Milk became a pioneering gay politician in San Francisco. It will be part of a lesson about how immigrants have shaped the Golden State.
The state's Board of Education unanimously approved those changes in classroom instruction Thursday. They did this to comply with the nation's first law requiring public schools to include prominent gay Americans in history classes. The law provides for teaching about important events in the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, too.
The changes are part of a broader redesign of California's history and social science courses. Dozens of speakers gave public testimony over four hours. They criticized the way the framework discusses Muslims, Hindus and Jews. However, no one objected to the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.
Significant LGBT History Events
Allyson Chiu, who just finished 11th grade at Cupertino High School, said the changes would make LGBT students more comfortable. She and seven others spoke in favor of how the guidelines address gay issues.
"My classmates can solve quadratic equations or cite the elements on the periodic table. They can't tell you who Harvey Milk was or the significance of the Stonewall Riots," Chiu said.
In June 1969, a group of customers at a popular gay bar in New York City called the Stonewall Inn, who had grown angry at harassment by police, took a stand and a riot broke out. The riots lasted for days and inspired LGBT people throughout the country to organize in support of gay rights.
Classroom Materials To Feature LGBT Contributions
Legislation was passed five years ago requiring that students learn about LGBT Americans and people with disabilities. These groups have been added to the list of social and ethnic groups whose contributions schools are supposed to teach. This information must appear in textbooks from Kindergarten through eighth grade.
The law also prohibited classroom materials that reflect negatively on gays or particular religions. Conservative opponents argued that it should be up to parents to decide how to discuss sexual orientation and identity with their children. They say parents should decide when their children learn about these things. The law's opponents made two unsuccessful efforts to strike it down.
The approved framework weaves references to gay Americans and events throughout the history and social science courses. The references start in second grade with discussions about families with gay members. They happen again in fourth grade with lessons on California's place in the gay rights movement.
The guidelines also touch on the topics in fifth and eighth grades. In those grades, students will look at gender roles in the 18th and 19th centuries. They will learn about individuals in history who went against these traditional roles. The guidelines state that students will continue to explore these topics throughout high school.
Recent Court Cases
A high point of the program would come in U.S. government courses. There, high school seniors would learn about the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. They would also discuss recent court cases involving public bathroom use for transgender students.
California's law took effect in January 2012. However, the process of putting it into effect was slowed by attempts to overturn it. Other educational programs were competing for shrinking school budgets. It also took time to draft a plan for the school board and to suggest new textbooks.
Matthew McReynolds is the senior staff attorney for the Pacific Justice Institute. His Sacramento legal defense organization was involved in efforts to stop this law. He says opponents are concerned that now there will be less study of important historical figures and events. They fear those studies will be pushed aside to make room for LGBT icons. The opponents of the law believe these LGBT figures might be of less historical importance.
Understanding The LGBT Past
McReynolds believes that parents would be alarmed if they knew that LGBT History Month in recent years has promoted the idea that the patriotic song "America the Beautiful" is a source of lesbian pride.
Katharine Lee Bates was the Wellesley College professor who wrote the song in 1893. She lived with a fellow teacher at the women's school for a quarter-century. Modern scholars believe the two women might have had a romantic relationship.
Supporters say the changes recognize that LGBT history is part of American history.
"You cannot understand where we are now collectively as Americans without understanding something of the LGBT past," said Don Romesburg, chairman of women's studies at Sonoma State University.
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