The Governator's Textbook Veto

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has just vetoed some textbook-related legislation that's bound to anger many of his Hollywood Buddies:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have barred textbooks from using language that would be discriminatory to gays, saying the state's education laws already prevent discrimination.

The bill's author, state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, called the veto "inexplicable."

Kuehl's bill initially would have required California's social science textbooks to include the historical contributions of homosexuals, but the state Assembly amended it at her request in an effort to avoid a veto from the Republican governor.

The final version of SB 1437 would have prohibited any negative portrayal of homosexuals in textbooks and other instructional material, expanding current anti-discrimination laws that apply to minorities.

But in a veto message, Schwarzenegger said California's education code already prohibits discrimination in schools and says everyone is entitled to "equal rights and opportunities in our state educational institutions, regardless of their sex, ethnic group, race, national origin, religion, disability and sexual orientation."

"I and this administration are firmly committed to the vigorous enforcement of these protections," he said.

Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, expressed frustration over the veto and said she had explicitly changed the legislation to address the governor's opposition.

"I an extremely disappointed that the governor chose to respond to a small, shrill group of right-wing extremists rather than a fair-minded majority of Californians who support this reasonable measure," she said in a statement.

Kuehl said lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students are still vulnerable to discrimination in instructional materials and school activities.

Schwarzenegger said the bill barred any materials or activities that "reflect adversely" on people, which was vague and potentially confusing. He said it "would not strengthen this important area of legal protection from bias based on sexual orientation."

There's more extensive coverage (from another source) right here.

Since the Governator seems to be in a mood to lay the smackdown on the PC crowd veto certain proposals in order to woo back disaffected voters in this election year, maybe he'll consider saying "no" to further increases in the size of this state's already bloated EduCracy.

That would be a first... ------------------------------See our latest EduPosts.