Groups Condemn California Senate's Passage of Pro-Homosexual Education Bill
by Bill Fancher and Jenni Parker
May 15, 2006
(AgapePress) - - The governor of California could be all that stands in the way of a proposed new law that would endorse and promote the homosexual lifestyle in public schools statewide. The bill has already passed the California Senate and, if it gains Assembly approval as well, only a veto will be able to stop it.
The legislation known as SB 1437 requires California education officials to re-write textbooks to include "gay" themes and homosexual people, positively emphasizing their contributions and their place in history. It also bans any negative reference to homosexuals based on religious beliefs, which is why Bob Knight of the Culture and Family Institute sees the law as an attack on biblical values.
Bob Knight | |
The people behind the language in SB 1437 have taken a decidedly pro-homosexual position, Knight points out. "They specifically say in the bill that other opinions have to be resisted, including sectarian or denominational opinions about homosexuality that would put [the homosexual lifestyle] in a negative light," he says. "In other words," Knight explains, "they're saying, 'Whatever your faith teaches you is wrong. In our tax-supported schools, we're going to create a new religion. We're going to say what's right and wrong regarding sexual conduct.'"
According to the CFI spokesman, SB 1437 represents an effort on the part of homosexual activists to negate the teachings of various faiths and elevate the state to a level of creating its own politically correct religion. He says the prospect of this bill's passage has awakened concerned citizens throughout California, parents and others who feel the homosexual lobby has gone too far, and they are urging the state's chief administrator to act.
"The governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is being contacted and asked to veto this terrible bill," Knight says, "because it abridges the freedom of parents to send their kids to a school that isn't attacking their religious values."
CRI Decries Homosexual Agenda's Attack on Families, Disservice to Children
Other pro-family groups have been outspoken in their criticism of SB 1437 and its supporters in the California legislature. Karen England, executive director of Capitol Resource Institute, says the bill is "just another example of how radical the State Senate has become." That legislative body is "so far out of touch with California families that it is beyond alarming," she contends.
England describes SB 1437 as an effort to indoctrinate innocent children caught in the tug-of-war between traditional family values and the radical homosexual agenda. "The traditional family is under attack," she contends, "and this is a latest -- and most outrageous -- attempt to corrupt the minds of our children."
Under the legislation, the CRI spokeswoman points out, not only would textbooks and instructional materials be affected by the pro-homosexual guidelines for children from kindergarten through grade 12, but all school-sponsored activities would be affected as well. And furthermore, she notes, school districts may well have to do away with dress codes and start accommodating transsexuals on girl-specific or boy-specific sports teams.
It is shameful, England asserts, that the California Senate is preoccupied with promoting homosexual and transgender history in schools while some parents are actually suing the state because their children have not been prepared to pass a basic exit exam. Also shameful, she says, is the fact that the California Teachers Association is supporting this measure "when they should be focused on preparing our students in the fundamentals."
