Tactical Media: Revise SB 48

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySVAqG895Zw&feature=plcp[/youtube]

For my Tactical Hypertext Project, I will be focusing on SB 48: The FAIR Education Act. FAIR stands for “Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful”. The purpose of this Act is to “amend the education code to require schools to integrate factual information about social movements, current events and history of people with disabilities and LGBT people into existing social studies lessons” for grades K-12.

SB 48 uses all social science curriculum, including history books and other instructional materials, to teach children as young as five not only to accept but also to endorse transgenderism, bisexuality, and homosexuality. SB 48 has been misrepresented to the public and passed as a bill aimed to end bullying. SB 48 went into effect January 2012. Under SB 48, public schools will begin supplementing current instruction with pro-transgender, bisexual and homosexual materials before textbooks are revised. If schools do not comply with this they are in violation of the law.

My argument in regards to SB 48 is that the law should be revised to leave grades K-8 out of the Act. My four main reasons to support this argument are:

• Children, especially in grades K-8, are far too young to comprehend what it means to be homosexual, bisexual, or transgendered. These issues go far beyond appearance and extend into mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of a persons life.

• Ultimately, this is a moral issue. It should be the parent’s decision if they want their children learning about LGBT issues and not left for the government to make this decision. Issues revolving around transgenderism, bisexuality, and homosexuality should be taught in the home and not infused within the school atmosphere.

• The original intention of the Act was to end bullying, yet bullying takes many forms. Bullying isn’t limited to issues solely based on sexuality or gender. Bullying can come through issues on social status or smaller things such as attire, appearance, etc. Children grades K-8 aren’t necessarily concerned, or in tune, with issues regarding sexual orientation.