Does LGBT History Belong in Schools?

When California's Fair Education Act goes into effect in January, students in public schools will have the opportunity to learn about gay and lesbian history—but some advocacy groups have argued that the law oversteps boundaries.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill in July.

"History should be honest. 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. It represents an important step forward for our state, and I thank Sen. [Mark] Leno for his hard work on this historic legislation," Brown said in a statement in July.

Now some advocacy groups have rallied against the new measure. For example, the Stop SB48 campaign aims to gather 750,000 petition signatures by the end of September for a ballot referendum to overturn the law.

"Implementing SB 48 would require the use of extensive taxpayer dollars to review, revise, and adopt curriculum with an eye to promoting a political agenda instead of with an eye to promoting successful education," according to the group's website.

The group has also argued that parents should decide what to teach their children about gay and lesbian history.

So we leave the discussion with our Hermosa Beach Patch readers—what do you think about the Fair Education Act and should it be overturned?