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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Gay-History Law in California Is New Peak of Educational Malpractice - The Daily Beast

Gay-History Law in California Is New Peak of Educational Malpractice - The Daily Beast

Gay Education Malpractice

California kids may be learning more about the first gay vice president and other obscure figures under a new law that requires an emphasis on gay accomplishments. Michael Medved says it’s PC run amok.

Thanks to California’s newly enacted “gay history” law, William Rufus Devane King will finally receive the comprehensive classroom attention that previous generations of educators had so cruelly denied him.

This thoroughly obscure Dixie politician left behind no major accomplishments or stirring speeches, but he represents precisely the sort of forgotten figure the Golden State legislation means to emphasize in retelling the story of America for an enlightened new generation. Many experts believe that King might well qualify as the nation’s first gay vice president.

In signing the bill last week, Gov. Jerry Brown denounced “discrimination in education” and insisted “history should be honest.” According to the governor, the legislation now “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.”

The new law requires that public-school textbooks and curricula, beginning with