When I heard that Sean Penn had won the Academy Award for best actor for his role in Milk, I was curious to see how Penn’s portrayal of a dairy farmer garnered the attention of the Academy. It was only later that I learned that Milk, contrary to my assumption, is a biographical film detailing the life and struggles of Harvey Milk, a gay rights advocate and the first openly gay person to be elected to public office. Call me ignorant, but how was I supposed to know that?
The fact is, I have never really learned about gay history. Growing up in an extremely conservative home, my exposure to gay issues was limited, and school wasn’t much more informative. While my high school textbooks spent a great deal of time discussing the struggles of other minorities in the U.S., from the push for women’s suffrage to the civil rights movement, the plight of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans was absent.
It is this glaring omission of the historical struggle of LGBT that California Democratic Senator Mark Leno is seeking to rectify with California Senate Bill 48. Essentially, the law mandates the inclusion of the historical contributions of LGBT Americans in the California curriculum. On Apr. 21, the law passed through the Senate with a partisan majority of 23-14, but still needs to clear the Democrat-controlled Assembly before it can be signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown.
Lawmakers believe the bill will help curb the bullying of gay students and lower the high suicide rate for queer youth. Leno, himself openly gay, hopes the law will allow gay students to feel included in the fabric of American society.
“We are second-class citizens and children are listening,” he said in an interview. “When they see their teachers don’t step up to the plate when their classmate is being harassed literally to death, they are listening and they get the message that there is something wrong with those people.”
Evangelical Christians and other social conservatives are outraged that students in public schools will be exposed to a sexualized education that will guide impressionable students to the conclusion that being gay is an acceptable lifestyle choice. Republican State Senator Doug La Malfa believes students should be shielded from an LGBT-inclusive curriculum. “I’m deeply troubled kids would have to contemplate at a very, very early age, when many of us are teaching abstinence … what is sexuality,” he said. It should be noted that the law does not indicate an age to introduce LGBT history, leaving this choice to the discretion of California school districts.
Critics of SB 48 also claim that Californians, in their passage of Proposition 8, which overturned a court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, have already decided that they do not want to normalize homosexuality. Californians disapproving of homosexuality think the legislature has no right to force LGBT history down students throats.
In 1966, the California Board of Education faced similar opposition when it included accounts of the civil rights movement and the contributions of black Americans in high school textbooks. Now, such education is considered crucial for students to understand an important aspect of American society and history. Similarly, though it may be unpopular, the inclusion of LGBT history in public schools’ social studies curricula is critical.
The U.S. is currently undergoing a second civil rights movement for members of the LGBT community. Five U.S. states and the District of Columbia have already removed bans on same-sex marriage, New York is again contemplating legalization, Delaware and Hawaii recently passed laws establishing civil unions for same-sex couples, and the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which banned openly gay Americans from serving in the military, is being repealed. Now, more than ever, is it necessary to educate youth about the LGBT community and their struggle for equal rights in this country.
SB 48 is just one law in one state, but it’s an important step in the ongoing movement for integration and acceptance of the LGBT community. Other states ought to follow California’s example, especially those that are purportedly gay-friendly, like Massachusetts. Likewise, the University needs to make sure to include LGBT history in its history curriculum.
It’s time for Americans to stop their ignorance and learn something. Hopefully, future Americans won’t have to wonder if Milk is skim or whole.
