Kuehl Removes Key Portion of Bill on Gays in Textbooks

Facing a certain veto, state lawmakers have abandoned their effort to require that textbooks in California schools detail the history and achievements of gays and lesbians in America.

State Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), the author of SB 1437, said she made the change even though it removed 90% of the import of the measure, which would have been the first in the country to mandate the teaching of homosexuals' contributions.

But Schwarzenegger's office, which had taken the rare step of announcing his intention to veto the bill, provided no encouraging signal that he would change his mind.

"The governor will not sign a bill that micromanages curriculum that is better left to the state Board of Education," Schwarzenegger press secretary Margita Thompson said.

He said his group had decided to endorse Schwarzenegger's Democratic challenger, state Treasurer Phil Angelides, because Schwarzenegger, though "the best Republican governor" on gay rights issues, "puts politics above principle" and has vetoed a number of priorities, including legalized gay marriage.

OP, there's definitely something wrong with this picture and the more I look at it the uglier it gets.

The Christian religion, prayer and the word 'God' is no longer allowed at school assemblies or in the classroom in fear that it might upset someone of another religion. We won't even mention what they've done to Christmas. No attire is allowed any longer that bears the symbol of this great country, the 'Stars and Stripes'. Yet this admitted lesbian, state Senator Sheila James Kuehl wants to force instruction of a perverted way of life onto children in the classroom from Kindergarten up. I THINK NOT!

What happened to morals and decency?

I didn't get to read all the article in the LA Slimes as I refuse to sign up, but I did find a copy of the amended bill. I know it's late but I can't find what she's supposed to have amended.

Here's what I found.

August 7th 2006

Today, the California State Assembly amended SB 1437 by lesbian state Senator Sheila James Kuehl. But this highly controversial bill, despite the amendments, continues to indirectly require positive portrayals of transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality to be taught to schoolchildren as young as kindergarten. (See the analysis of the amended bill below.)

"SB 1437 still requires all teachers, all textbooks, and all instructional materials to positively portray cross-dressing, sex-change operations, bisexuality, and homosexuality, including homosexual 'marriages,'" said CCF President Randy Thomasson. "Governor Schwarzenegger said he would veto SB 1437. Fathers and mothers expect Arnold not to let them down.”

On May 25, the Sacramento Bee broke the news that Schwarzenegger would veto SB 1437 if it reached his desk, writing the headline "Governor will veto gay curriculum bill." The Bee quoted Schwarzenegger’s Communications Director Adam Mendelsohn, who said, "The governor believes that school curriculum should include all important historical figures, regardless of orientation. However, he does not support the Legislature micromanaging curriculum."

On May 26, the San Francisco Chronicle wrote the headline, "Veto promised for textbook legislation." The article quoted Schwarzenegger spokesman Adam Mendelsohn, who said, "The issue for the governor is he is not supportive of the Legislature micromanaging curriculum. California has an 18-member standards board that is a national model for looking at curriculum. The governor just believes it's not the Legislature's job to determine curriculum."

"California’s dads and moms will be pleased when Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoes SB 1437, AB 606, and AB 1056," said Thomasson. "These sexual indoctrination bills that micromanage local schools and sexually indoctrinate children make fathers and mothers very angry. Why are Democrats pushing these anti-family bills? Do they want to turn off parents? If so, they’re doing an excellent job."

SUMMARY AND STATUS OF SB 1437, AB 606 AND AB 1056

SB 1437 would prohibit textbooks, instructional materials, and school-sponsored activities from "reflecting adversely" on transsexuality, bisexuality, or homosexuality, thus indirectly requiring positive portrayals of these sexual lifestyles in curriculum in all grades in all public schools. Consequently, schools would have to promote "same-sex marriages" and even sex-change procedures. SB 1437 STATUS: On the Assembly floor.

AB 606 would authorize the California Superintendent of Public Instruction to arbitrarily withhold state funds (around 2/3rds of a school district’s budget) from any district that does not adequately promote transsexuality, bisexuality, or homosexuality in its school policies. A companion bill of SB 1437, AB 606 "clears the way" by repealing the current state law prohibiting transsexual, bisexual, and homosexual curriculum from being forced upon local schools, and authorizes the state Superintendent to develop new curriculum that affirms transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality in all its forms. AB 606 STATUS: Expected to pass the Senate Appropriations Committee today.

AB 1056 would spend $250,000 in taxpayer dollars to promote transsexual, bisexual, and homosexual lifestyles under the banner of "tolerance education." Redefines "tolerance" to allow schools to force attitudinal support of transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality. AB 1056 STATUS: Expected to pass the Senate Appropriations Committee today.

ANALYSIS OF SB 1437, AS AMENDED AUGUST 7, 2006

The August 7 amendments merely removed the duplicative section requiring study of transsexual, bisexual, and homosexual historical figures, and the subjective requirement that the instruction be "age appropriate." The core of the bill remains as the requirement that all California public schools do not portray negatively but positively portray transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality in all textbooks, instructional materials, and school activities.

As amended, here is what SB 1437 will do:

1. SB 1437 will force all California public schools to promote transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality to schoolchildren as young as kindergarten.

SB 1437 is a sexual-agenda bomb dressed up as a child-caring Easter egg. Lesbian legislators such as the bill’s author, Sheila James Kuehl, a Santa Monica Democrat, would have you believe that SB 1437 merely updates school anti-discrimination policies. To that end, the bill incorporates the explosive terms "gender" (which includes transsexuality and transvestitism) and "sexual orientation" (meaning bisexuality and homosexuality) in a long list of anti-discrimination clauses.

But the bill is ultimately about requiring transsexual, bisexual, and homosexual textbooks, instruction, and school activities – because not promoting these sexual lifestyles would "reflect adversely" on them:

"No teacher shall give instruction nor shall a school district sponsor any activity that reflects adversely upon persons because of their race or ethnicity, gender, disability, nationality, sexual orientation, or religion." -- SB 1437 Sec. 1.

Contrast this to the current Education Code, which doesn’t require textbooks to promote "gender" (transsexuality and transvestitism) or "sexual orientation" (bisexuality and homosexuality):

“No teacher shall give instruction nor shall a school sponsor any activity which reflects adversely upon persons because of their race, sex, color, creed, handicap, national origin, or ancestry." -- CA Education Code Sec. 51500.

A close before-and-after examination shows that the only substantial change in the Education Code is the addition of "gender" and "sexual orientation." After all, "ethnicity" equals "race"; "nationality" equals "color" and "national origin or ancestry"; "religion" equals "creed"; and "disability" is merely another word for "handicap."

Clearly, SB 1437’s changes existing law by inserting transsexual, bisexual, and homosexual language. By forbidding schools from adopting educational material that "reflects adversely" on these sexual lifestyles, SB 1437 mandates these sexual lifestyles be taught and promoted to impressionable schoolchildren.

2. SB 1437 will require textbooks to promote transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality to schoolchildren.

To fully understand the impact of SB 1437 on your local neighborhood school, you must realize that, for the first time, state law places "gender" and "sexual orientation" into school textbooks. SB 1437 says:

"No textbook or other instructional materials shall be adopted by the state board or by any governing board for use in the public schools that contains any matter reflecting adversely upon persons because of their race or ethnicity, gender, disability, nationality, sexual orientation, or religion, as those terms are defined in Section 422.56 of the Penal Code." -- SB 1437, Sec. 2.

An examination of California Penal Code, Section 422.56, reveals a direct, spelled-out link: "Gender" includes transsexuality; "Sexual orientation" includes homosexuality and bisexuality:

For purposes of this title, the following definitions shall apply:

(c)"Gender" means sex, and includes a person's gender identity and gender related appearance and behavior whether or not stereotypically associated with the person's assigned sex at birth.

(h)"Sexual orientation" means heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality. -- California Penal Code, Section 422.56.

The intent and effect of SB 1437 could not be clearer. By indirectly forcing curriculum changes, SB 1437 will result in every California public school teaching children to support transsexual, bisexual, and homosexual lifestyles.

3. SB 1437 prohibits schools from sponsoring traditional school activities.

SB 1437 specifically targets school-sponsored activities that currently make a distinction between "boy" and "girl", by stating:

"No teacher shall give instruction nor shall a school district sponsor any activity that reflects adversely upon persons because of their race or ethnicity, gender, disability, nationality, sexual orientation, or religion, as those terms are defined in Section 422.56 of the Penal Code." -- SB 1437 Sec. 1.

As a result, several school activities will be deemed to "reflect adversely" on transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality:

• School proms (Prom "kings" and "queens" could not be gender-specific)
• Gender-specific sports ("Boys Basketball" would be "discriminatory" against transsexuals)
• Cheerleading (Can you say "transsexual cheerleaders"?)

4. SB 1437 prohibits public schools from teaching there is a natural family -- a father, a mother, and their children.

Just as it attacks school-sponsored activities, SB 1437 also assaults school curriculum on the basis of sex-related discrimination, asserting:

"No textbook or other instructional materials shall be adopted by the state board or by any governing board for use in the public schools that contains any matter reflecting adversely upon persons because of their race or ethnicity, gender, disability, nationality, sexual orientation, or religion, as those terms are defined in Section 422.56 of the Penal Code." -- SB 1437 Sec. 2.

The California Education Code defines “instructional materials” as:

"'Instructional materials'" means all materials that are designed for use by pupils and their teachers as a learning resource and help pupils to acquire facts, skills, or opinions or to develop cognitive processes. Instructional materials may be printed or nonprinted, and may include textbooks, technology-based materials, other educational materials, and tests." -- California Education Code, Section 60010(h).

In short, instructional materials can be anything, including guest speakers, informational handouts, and other curriculum talking about and promoting transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality. Under SB 1437, non-discriminatory instructional materials related to "gender" and "sexual orientation" would include:

• Sex-change handouts (Omitting sex-change material in sex education class would "reflect adversely")
• Transvestite speakers (Limiting classroom speakers to biologically-born men and biologically-born women would "reflect adversely")
• Transsexual, bisexual, and homosexual videos (Showing videos depicting the traditional family or man-woman relationships would "reflect adversely")

If you don’t think the liberal California Department of Education will enforce SB 1437, think again. Because parental units are gender-specific, married couples or a family with a "father and a mother" would be portrayed as mere stereotypes – outdated ideas – and could be prohibited from textbooks because their discriminatory inclusion "reflects adversely." Under SB 1437, school curriculum in every public school throughout California, in every grade K-12, would have to portray transsexual and bisexual "parents" as normal. SB 1437 would teach schoolchildren that there is no such thing as the natural family.

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