Tony Perkins Has The California Sadz

Pretty much exactly as I predicted two hours ago.

CALIFORNIA: Gov Signs Bill Removing "Husband" & "Wife" From Marriage Laws

Yesterday California Gov. Jerry Brown signed openly gay state Sen. Mark Leno's bill which changes the wording in marriage statutes, replacing "husband" and "wife" with gender-neutral terms like "spouse." The bill also removes limits on recognizing legal out-of-state same-sex marriages. Expect Tony Perkins to scream that it's now a crime to say "husband and wife."

CALIFORNIA: Governor Signs Bill Allowing Children More Than Two Legal Parents

After vetoing a similar measure last year, California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill which allows children to have more than two legal parents.

Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) said he authored the measure to address the changes in family structure in California, including situations in which same-sex couples have a child with an opposite-sex biological parent. The law will allow the courts to recognize three or more legal parents so that custody and financial responsibility can be shared by all those involved in raising a child, Leno said. "Courts need the ability to recognize these changes so children are supported by the adults that play a central role in loving and caring for them," Leno said. "It is critical that judges have the ability to recognize the roles of all parents so that no child has to endure separation from one of the adults he or she has always known as a parent."

Anti-gay groups, of course, are furious about the bill.

CALIFORNIA: Openly Gay Sen. Mark Leno Calls On State Not To Invest In Russia

Openly gay California state Sen. Mark Leno today announced a resolution that calls on California's state pension plans to refrain from investing with Russian companies.

The Senate resolution, which Leno said will be passed in the coming weeks, could be the precursor to actual legislation barring investments in Russia. The resolution notes that homophobic laws have already led to violence against LGBT people in Russia and says the new law allows “police officers to arrest tourists and foreign nationals.” It calls on the Obama, Congress and the U.S. Department of State to “increase efforts to encourage the decriminalization of homosexuality in every country” and urges the IOC to “seek written agreement from the Russian government that the anti-gay propaganda law will not affect those attending or taking part in the games.” “We hope this resolution will bring greater attention to what (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is doing in Russia and encourage other states to follow our lead.This is classic scapegoating, a despotic ruler trying to solidify his power,” Leno said. “We’ve seen this throughout history, and it can potentially lead to genocide.”

Noting a recent deal in which a California state retirement fund invested in a Moscow shopping mall, Leno said that "billions of dollars" are potentially at stake. (Tipped by JMG reader Anthony)

My Eyes Ache From The Rolling

So-called "intactivists" are going to protest tonight's fundraiser for openly gay state Sen. Mark Leno because he didn't support a bill to ban circumcision in San Francisco.

UPDATE: A commenter reminds me of when I lost interest in San Francisco's bill.

Anti-Gay Group Claims To Have Signatures To Place SB 48 Repeal On CA Ballot

Via Los Angeles Weekly:

"Stop SB 48," the group that wants to repeal a state law that allows California students to learn about important people in history who were gay, claimed in an email to supporters yesterday afternoon that its petition drive for a ballot measure will be successful. "The signed petitions are coming in at an incredible rate -- tens of thousands a day," the email reads. "It looks like we are going to make the goal of more than 500,000 valid signatures all delivered to our Sacramento office by October 10." Gay rights activists have said that the anti-gay history initiative would be difficult to defeat in June, 2012, when the ballot measure would go before California voters.

If they do have the signatures, we know how they got them.

CALIFORNIA: Church Ejects Gays During Rally To Repeal LGBT Education Bill

(Tipped by JMG reader Brandy)

Christian Pastor: California's LGBT Education Bill Is Against Jesus

Anti-Gay Group Vows: We'll Overturn California's "Nazi" LGBT History Bill

More anti-gay hate groups are piling on the petition drive to place a repeal of California's LGBT history bill on the June 2012 ballot. Today, it's the World Congress of Families.

"When people have [voted], and Governor Brown knows that he has an issue that would fail when put to a popular vote, of course, they just go around the people," Jacobs explains. "They essentially implement their will. And, of course, in a democracy, that's not the way things are supposed to work. It's certainly something that forces our children to be indoctrinated in a certain way. It's like a Nazi state or a communist type of way of dealing with an issue." And he contends the bill has enforced the homosexual agenda on children in the state. "What the homosexual movement has done with ... SB 48 [and] in general, in calling for equality, what they're calling for is special rights," the pro-family group spokesman notes. "We don't have special things in education to teach people to change history based on a particular Christian worldview or Muslim worldview, but they go beyond that."

Hate Groups React To CA History Bill

Catholics For The Common Good

Claims that this bill is needed to reduce bullying against children that are experiencing gender confusion or take on 'gay' or 'lesbian' identities are absurd. Children must be taught respect for all persons because of their intrinsic value, not because they agree with their behavior or like their characteristics. In fact, reducing people to merely a sexual identity obscures the fact that they are so much more than that.

Traditional Values Coalition

SB 48 was priority number 1 for Traditional Values Coalition. We committed all the resources we had to try to make sure that SB 48 failed. We are talking about molesting the minds of young impressionable youth, as young as Kindergarten, with an agenda and message that is not age-appropriate and that is offensive to the values of a vast majority of California’s families. We have failed at our core educational mission and yet we are now going to inject gay studies into the classrooms. It’s absurd and offensive.

Save California

It's ridiculous that Jerry Brown says he's making history 'honest'. The bill he signed prohibits teachers and textbooks from telling children the facts that homosexuality has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS and other STDs, higher cancer rates, and earlier deaths. These important facts about lifestyles children will being forced to admire will be omitted. And Brown calls this 'honest'? This revisionist history will actually make more children believe a lie -- that homosexuality is biological, which it's not, and healthy, which is isn't."

BREAKING: Victory In California As Gov. Jerry Brown Signs LGBT History Bill

California Gov. Jerry Brown today signed openly gay state Sen. Mark Leno's LGBT education bill. Leno's legislation requires that California's history textbooks including notable LGBT figures.

"Today we are making history in California by ensuring that our textbooks and instructional materials no longer exclude the contributions of LGBT Americans," said Senator Leno (D-San Francisco). "Denying LGBT people their rightful place in history gives our young people an inaccurate and incomplete view of the world around them. I am pleased Governor Brown signed the FAIR Education Act and I thank him for recognizing that the LGBT community, its accomplishments and its ongoing efforts for first-class citizenship are important components of California's history." Research indicates that students who learn about LGBT people find their school environments more accepting of LGBT youth. Students are also more likely to report that their LGBT peers are treated fairly at school - and that other types of peer-to-peer disrespect also declines - when LGBT people and issues are included in instructional materials.

The bill was hotly opposed by the usual anti-gay groups nationwide, with the hate group Save California taking the lead in fighting the measure. So SUCK IT, Randy Thomasson!

Will CA Jerry Brown Sign History Bill?

It remains unclear whether California Gov. Jerry Brown will sign the LGBT history bill approved earlier this month by the state legislature. Brown is under enormous pressure from anti-gay hate groups nationwide. Equality California weighs in:

As a community we must convince Governor Brown to sign the FAIR Education Act (SB 48 - Leno). We don't have a lot of time. Please email him today. http://tinyurl.com/sb48-b . This critical bill would ensure that students in public schools learn about the LGBT civil rights movement and the contributions of LGBT people to other movements and to society. With this bill, we will have the opportunity to define who we are, instead of being defined by harmful messages filled with bigotry that dehumanize us. We believe that learning about the heroic struggles of LGBT individuals and our diverse LGBT communities brings an understanding that prevents violence against our LGBT youth and those perceived as LGBT regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We are shifting the conversation. Instead of being stigmatized, marginalized and demonized, people will understand that we have a proud legacy and heritage of struggle and contribution.

Hit this link to sign Equality California's petition to Brown. Or call his office directly: 916.445.2841.

Christian TV On CA LGBT History Bill

With a special guest appearance by Randy Thomasson of the hate group, Save California.

CA Sen. Mark Leno On LGBT History Bill

LGBT History Bill Passes CA Assembly

The Advocate reports:

Sponsored by gay senator Mark Leno, the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful Education Act "ensures that the historical contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are accurately and fairly portrayed in instructional materials by adding LGBT people to the existing list of under-represented cultural and ethnic groups already included in the state’s inclusionary education requirements," according to Leno's office. The bill passed the Assembly by a vote of 49-25; it passed the Senate in April and will now head to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk. It's not clear where Brown stands on the bill, but he's generally supportive of gay rights and refused to defend Proposition 8 after the antigay initiative was declared unconstitutional by a federal judge.

Anti-gay groups have been especially inventive with their lies about what Leno's bill will really mean for schoolchildren.

MSNBC On CA's Gay Education Bill

CALIFORNIA: Gay Ed Bill Passes In Senate

California's education bill requiring that notable LGBT people be positively portrayed in textbooks was passed yesterday by the state Senate.

If the bill is adopted by the state Assembly and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, California would become the first state to require the teaching of gay history. Supporters say the move is needed to counter anti-gay stereotypes and beliefs that make children in those groups vulnerable to bullying and suicide. Opponents counter that such instruction would further burden an already crowded curriculum and expose students to a subject that some parents find objectionable. The legislation, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Mark Leno of San Francisco, passed on a 23-14 party line vote. It also would add disabled people to the curriculum. The bill gives school districts flexibility in deciding what to include in the lessons and at what grades students would receive them. But starting in the 2013-14 school year, it would prohibit districts and the California Board of Education from using textbooks or other instructional materials that reflect adversely on gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.

As I've noted here several times, the bill is vehemently opposed by anti-gay groups.

CALIFORNIA: Christianists Ramp Up Attacks On Gay-Positive Education Bill

Anti-gay Christianist groups are launching an all-out war on California's pending SB 48 bill, which calls for the inclusion of notable LGBT figures in lessons about civics and history. From a World Net Daily story about "sexual brainwashing":

"Life has consequences. This is what parents get with the Democrats," said SaveCalifornia.com President Randy Thomasson (pictured). "It's what they get with the teacher unions. It's what they get by believing the lie that people are born 'gay,' when they're not. Or that this is a harmless lifestyle. "This is what parents get when they place their children in the government school system and say that they have no other options," he continued. "Parents are seeing the tip of the iceberg in SB 48, and they need to wake up to the fact that the public school they went to as a child no longer exists. "Government schools in California are mandated by more than half a dozens laws already to bring children to think that homosexual, bisexual and transsexual [lifestyles are] good and natural and maybe even for them," he said.

SB 48 is sponsored by openly gay state Sen. Mark Leno, who, the above-linked article pointedly notes, had a former partner who died of AIDS. Because teaching kids about Harvey Milk will give them AIDS. Or something.

Quote Of The Day - Randy Thomasson

"This shows that you cannot trust the Democrat legislators, the homosexual agenda people at all, and you cannot trust the teachers unions -- the California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers boldly and brashly supported this bill in committee. They want children in the classrooms statewide to be taught that they can be homosexual or bisexual or transsexual -- or they ought to be -- and that they'll enjoy it." - Save California spokesbigot Randy Thomasson, responding to a bill that requires that LGBT people be depicted positively in public school textbooks.

The bill, sponsored by openly gay state Sen. Mark Leno, advanced out of a Senate committee last week.

San Francisco Says "It Gets Better"

With filmmaker Matt Baume, San Franciscans respond to Dan Savage's "It Gets Better" project. Get a tissue.

UPDATE: Dan Savage writes us: "I'm issuing a challenge here—to see similar videos from New York, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Provincetown, Minneapolis, Madison, Atlanta, Houston, and on and on. There are lots of large, vibrant, powerful gay communities out there, in lots of cities. I hope there's someone like Matt in each one of them."