The Claremont Institute
Those who have been warily watching the progress of SB1437, a bill which recently passed the State Senate, will be pleased to know that a spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced that the bill will be vetoed if it reaches the governor’s desk. As the Sacremento Bee summed matters up:
Wednesday’s announcement signaled a death blow to the efforts of state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, the openly lesbian author of the measure, to obtain recognition for the contributions of gays, lesbians, transgender and bisexual people to the social and historical landscape.
According to the governor’s spokesman, Schwarzenegger believes the accomplishments of men and women should be noted without regard to their sexual orientation and opposes the Legislature “micromanag[ing]” textbooks.
Seth Kilbourn, political director for Equality California, which advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and sponsored Senate Bill 1437, contradicted himself even as he downplayed the effect that changes in textbooks would have on public education. But he may have pointed to some disturbing truth. Consider:
“We are not asking for anything new. It’s part of the diversity as required by the state of California,” Kilbourn said. “It has enormous impact on gay and lesbian students. When gay issues are talked about, gay students feel better about themselves. For non-gays, it’s an opportunity to learn about an underrepresented group in society and provides a more positive perspective.”