Education in this country has really gone down the shitter.Especially here in California. The problem is more with the parents and their values than the system, however. The California exit exam is a perfect example. I see all these parents screaming about the fact that their kid won't be getting their high school diploma. None seem to be concerned with the fact that their kid doesn't possess the knowledge needed to get it. All they care about is the damn piece of paper, not what it represents.

I do agree that our kids be taught to accept and respect others regardless of their race, religion, or sexual orientation. I do not think, however, that they should be taught about ""people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, (and who have contributed) to the economic, political, and social development of California and the United States of America ...". Actually, let me re-phrase that: I think they should be taught about people who have contributed but I don't think they should be given a label of gay, bisexual, etc.

If a person has done something signifigant, that action is what is important, not their sexual orientation. It's wrong to leave them out of the history books because they are gay. It's just as wrong to point out the fact that they are gay. It really shouldn't matter. In my opinion, if you are trying to teach acceptance, saying something like "that man is gay, but that's ok" is counter productive. That statement just says that there is something different about that person and the fact that it should be accepted means that others don't accept it. If others don't accept it then there might be something wrong with it. No sense planting a seed it you don't want it to grow.