LA Times – Scott Gold and Hemmy So – Times Staff Writers
Would the state of California “out” Abe Lincoln, now that a controversial biography has suggested that he not only changed the course of a nation but also shared a bed with men?
Would Eleanor Roosevelt be singled out not just for her seminal work pursuing the New Deal and fighting for human rights, but for her relationship with a woman?
Would Renee Richards, the tennis player who underwent sex reassignment surgery in 1975 and fought successfully to compete as a woman, merit mention in a history book?
On Friday, a day after the state Senate voted to require that the historical contributions of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people be taught in California schools, the weight of practicality ? how would it be accomplished? ? settled in.
Many educators and activists found themselves in a briar patch of confusion ? even those who believe that folding the concept of sexual orientation into the school curriculum would lead to greater levels of tolerance and acceptance.
The bill, which still needs the approval of the Assembly and the signature of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, would require schools to incorporate, in about six years, studies of the “role and contributions” made by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to the “economic political and social development” of California and the United States.