Global InformationFAIR Education Act information
| FAIR Education Act | |
|---|---|
 | |
| California State Legislature | |
| Full name | Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful Education Act |
| Introduced | December 13, 2010 |
| Assembly voted | July 5, 2011 |
| Senate voted | April 14, 2011 |
| Signed into law | July 14, 2011 |
| Sponsor(s) | Sen. Mark Leno, Assem. Tom Ammiano |
| Governor | Jerry Brown |
| Code | Education Code |
| Section | 51204.5, 51500, 51501, 60040, and 60044 |
| Resolution | SB 48 |
| Website | http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/sen/sb_0001-0050/sb_48_bill_20110714_chaptered.html |
Status: Current legislation | |
Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful Education Act, also known as the FAIR Education Act (Senate Bill 48) and informally described by media outlets as the LGBT History Bill, is a California law which compels the inclusion of the political, economic, and social contributions of persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people into educational textbooks and the social studies curricula in California public schools by amending the California Education Code. It also revises the previous designation of "black Americans, American Indians, Mexicans, Asians, [and] Pacific Island people" into a list considered Indigenous peoples of the Americas.[1] It would also amend an existing law by adding sexual orientation and religion into a list of characteristics (which already includes race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, and disability) that schools are prohibited from sponsoring negative activities about or teaching students about in an adverse way.
In particular, according to chief author Sen. Mark Leno, it "ensures that the historical contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender 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." It is notable that the law does not include an opt-out option for parents who do not wish to have their children learn about LGBT topics in school.
The bill was introduced into the Senate on December 13, 2010, and was finally passed 23–14 on April 14, 2011.[2] The bill was then passed by the Assembly on July 5 by a vote of 49–25.[3] Governor Jerry Brown, who has historically opposed Proposition 8 and has generally supported LGBT rights in the state, signed the bill into law on July 14. Governor Brown said however that state textbooks probably would not be updated to reflect the requirements of the law until 2015.[4]
It is supported by the GSA Network and Equality California, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights welcomed its ratification into law.[5] The California Teachers Association's President Dean Vogel stated, “We believe that curricula should address the common values of the society, promote respect for diversity and cooperation, and prepare students to compete in, and cope with a complex and rapidly evolving society. SB 48 does that by helping to ensure that curricular materials include the contributions of persons with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans to the development of California and United States.”[6]
It is opposed by the state Republican Party and socially conservative organizations. A conservative group called Stop SB 48 collected signatures to place a referendum on the June 2012 statewide ballot, but was unsuccessful.
- ^ "Bill Text - SB-48 Pupil instruction: prohibition of discriminatory content". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
- ^ Associated Press newswire (April 14, 2011). "Calif. Senate passes bill to teach gay history". CBS News.
- ^ Neal Broverman (July 5, 2011). "Calif. Legislature Passes Gay Education Bill". The Advocate.
- ^ "California governor signs bill requiring schools to teach gay history". CNN. July 15, 2011.
- ^ "NCLR Applauds Governor Brown for Signing the Historic FAIR Education Act". National Center for Lesbian Rights. July 14, 2011.
- ^ "BREAKING NEWS: California governor signs landmark LGBT education bill". SDGLN. July 14, 2011.