Gavin Newsom Threatens California School Board That Rejected LGBT Curriculum
The Democratic governor continues to force the teaching of leftist ideologies, such as LGBT issues, in state schools.
Editorial Team
July 26, 2023
Photo by Stavrialena Gontzou / Unsplash
Written by David Zimmermann
What happened? Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened to fine the Temecula Valley Unified School District $1.5 million if it didn’t adopt the state’s updated curriculum, which mentions gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk among other LGBT figures. Shortly following the threat, the school board voted to approve the new social studies textbook and curriculum to avoid a hefty fine. Newsom has been a public advocate against parental rights in both public schools and libraries.
California forcing politics in schools: The education battle with Temecula is the latest example of the state promoting LGBT ideology in the classroom. Since 2011, California has mandated that K-12 history and social science lessons include LGBT role models, provided under the FAIR Education Act. The state stands in sharp contrast to Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed to prevent the teaching of sexual orientation or gender identity. Newsom has openly criticized Republican-led censorship of books, claiming “education is under assault.”
Dive deeper: Many school boards and libraries have opted to remove inappropriate children’s books from their classrooms and shelves. These books cover subjects like transgenderism, sexual orientation, and racial politics. The California Department of Education’s recommended reading list for kindergarten through second grade includes a book about gender identity, telling a story about a nonbinary fourth-grader.
Watch the trend: Two other states have moved to punish schools and libraries this year as well. In June, Illinois passed a law that prohibited book banning in the state. The legislation forces public schools and libraries to refrain from removing books; otherwise, they lose state funding. New Jersey proposed a similar bill in May, although it hasn’t passed the state Legislature yet. Some of the texts available in New Jersey libraries depict sexual imagery and encourage minors to engage in orgies.