It’s Official: “Gay Day” in Schools Signed into Law

Just before a midnight deadline, Governor Schwarzenegger earlier this week signed a flurry of bills into law, including a highly controversial bill that will declare every May 22 as “Harvey Milk Day” and strongly encourage schools to celebrate the gay icon.

The bill, SB 572, requires that the Governor (including future governors) proclaim every May 22 as Harvey Milk Day, “and would designate that day as having special significance in public schools and educational institutions and would encourage those entities to conduct suitable commemorative exercises on that date.” The bill offers no opt-out provisions for parents who might not want their children to focus on sexuality for an entire school day. The new law also affects every grade level. Governor Schwarzenegger had previously vetoed a nearly-identical bill, but some believed that he would sign the measure this time because of recent honors bestowed on Harvey Milk by Hollywood and President Obama.

SB 572 was authored by openly homosexual Senator Mark Leno of San Francisco. Another bill authored by Leno, that would recognize same-sex marriages from other states, was also signed into law by Schwarzenegger yesterday.

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, commented, “It is no wonder schoolchildren in California are struggling on standardized tests, when lawmakers continue to promote political correctness in the classroom over academic achievement.”

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The Pacific Justice Institute is a non-profit 501(c)(3) legal defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties.
P.O. Box 276600 Sacramento, CA 95827-6600
Phone: (916) 857-6900 Fax: (916) 857-6902 Internet: www.pacificjustice.org