UPDATE: Gay History Close to Being Taught in California Schools

The FAIR Education Act, introduced by Senator Mark Leno (a Democrat from San Francisco) passed by a vote of 49-25, without any Republicans supporting it. Governor Jerry Brown has 12 days to decide if he is going to sign it or veto it, and if he takes no action, the bill will automatically become law. Brown, who is a Democrat, hasn’t publicly said whether or not he supports the bill, so Californians are waiting to find out what happens.

According to the San Francisco Examiner, the bill would

require schools to teach at all grade levels the historical contributions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

If signed into law, the curriculum would need to be adjusted when the bill would go into law in January 2012. By the 2015-16 school year, students could be learning about the historical accomplishments of Harvey Milk and other gay men and lesbians.

UPDATE: Governor Jerry Brown signed the FAIR Act into law yesterday! The Bay Area Reporter quoted Governor Brown saying,

“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.