What else would you expect from the land of fruits and nuts?

California Now Requires Gay History To Be Taught In Schools

A California bill signed by the governor will now require the teaching of gay history in its state’s schools. Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, signed the landmark bill Wenesday, requiring public schools to include the contributions of people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender in social studies curriculum. The bill had been opposed and critized by some churches and conservative groups that argue such instruction would expose students to a subject that some parents find objectionable.

“History should be honest,” the governor said in a statement Thursday. “This bill revises existing laws that prohibit discrimination in education and ensures that the important contributions of Americans from all backgrounds and walks of life are included in our history books.”

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, a Republican from Twin Peaks, said he was offended as a Christian, that the bill was being used to promote a “homosexual agenda” in public schools “I think it’s one thing to say that we should be tolerant,” Donnelly said. “It is something else altogether to say that my children are going to be taught that this lifestyle is good.”

The new bill will require the California Board of Education and local school districts to implement new text books that cover the contributions and roles of sexual minorities. California law has already required schools to teach about women, African Americans, Mexican Americans, entrepreneurs, Asian Americans, European Americans, American Indians and labor. The Legislature over the years also has prescribed specific lessons about the Irish potato famine and the Holocaust, among other topics.

“Our founding fathers are turning over in their graves,” Donnelly said.

State Sen. Mark Leno, a Democrat from San Francisco and the bill’s author, hailed the bill signing as a step toward teaching tolerance. Supporters say the bill will teach students to be more accepting of gays and lesbians in light of the bullying that happens to gay students.

“Today we are making history in California by ensuring that our textbooks and instructional materials no longer exclude the contributions of LGBT Americans,” Leno said in a statement