Date: Sat, 18 May 1996 21:05:43 -0700 (PDT) From: jessea@uclink4.berkeley.edu (Jessea NR Greenman) Subject: 6 weeks later: SECOND action alert re CA AB 2248 re AIDS education || National Coalition for Sex Equity in Education Conference {Dear PERSON Project readers: on March 29, we sent you the message below. we resend it to refresh your memory and provide background. The current situation update appears after this message.} -----begin March 29 message---- Religious political extremists and conservatives in the CA state legislature are trying to revise existing state education code to require that parents must give prior written consent before their children in grades 7-12 would be permitted to attend regular AIDS, STD, or sex education classes. Parents would also be allowed to inspect instructional materials teachers plan to use. The bill requires that 15 days prior notice be given to parents and that only those children whose parents affirmatively consent would be allowed to receive such instruction. The bill, AB 2248, is currently in the CA state assembly. Its Assembly author is Republican Steve Baldwin of San Diego. Its Senate co-author is Quentin Kopp of San Francisco (Independent). The public testimony in the Assembly Education Committee (chaired by Baldwin) was decidedly homophobic, with proponents of the bill indicating that AIDS and sex education classes are ideal recruiting grounds for homosexuals. The bill passed easily out of the Assembly Education committee. It is based on a few cases in which it is argued that outside speakers got out of hand and exposed students to "alternative lifestyles"-- the case in San Francisco (CUAV) and another "incident" in Ventura County. WE URGE YOU TO WRITE TO YOUR ASSEMBLYMEMBERS NOW! To find out legislative information such as members, committees, bill status, etc. go to URL: http://www.sen.ca.gov/ftp/access/guides/uguide.htm Below is a list of all CA Assemblymembers who have a published e-mail address as of January 1996. These addresses were found at: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/DOList.html Fred.Aguiar@assembly.ca.gov (ally) Tom.Bates@assembly.ca.gov Jim.Battin@assembly.ca.gov Tom.Bordonaro@assembly.ca.gov (ally) Debra.Bowen@assembly.ca.gov Valerie.Brown@assembly.ca.gov James.L.Brulte@assembly.ca.gov (ally) Cruz.Bustamante@assembly.ca.gov Louis.Caldera@assembly.ca.gov Mickey.Conroy@assembly.ca.gov (ally) Dominic.Cortese@assembly.ca.gov Jim.Cunneen@assembly.ca.gov Denise.Ducheny@assembly.ca.gov M.L.Figueroa@assembly.ca.gov Brooks.Firestone@assembly.ca.gov Peter.Frusetta@assembly.ca.gov (ally) Jan.Goldsmith@assembly.ca.gov Brett.Granlund@assembly.ca.gov (ally) Dan.Hauser@assembly.ca.gov George.House@assembly.ca.gov (ally) Phil.Isenberg@assembly.ca.gov Howard.Kaloogian@assembly.ca.gov William.Knight@assembly.ca.gov (ally) Steven.Kuykendall@assembly.ca.gov (ally) Mike.Machado@assembly.ca.gov Diane.Martinez@assembly.ca.gov Bruce.A.McPherson@assembly.ca.gov Kevin.Murray@assembly.ca.gov Willard.Murray@assembly.ca.gov R.K.Olberg@assembly.ca.gov (ally) Curt.Pringle@assembly.ca.gov (ally) James.Rogan@assembly.ca.gov (ally) Brian.Setencich@assembly.ca.gov John.Vasconcellos@assembly.ca.gov Ted.Weggeland@assembly.ca.gov (ally) If you are using snail mail, you may write your Assemblymember at [insert your Assemblymember's Name] State Capitol Sacramento CA 95814 Below are some points and facts you may wish to make in your letters. Ben Schatz, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association believes the bill dangerous to the health of children. "Do we really want to be encouraging parents to hold their children's life hostage to political ideology?" he was quoted as saying in the Bay Area Reporter March 28. Fred Dillon, Legislative Analyst for AIDS Project Los Angeles, argues the following salient points against AB 2248 in a March 18 letter to Baldwin (which was cc'd to all members of the Assembly's Education Committe): "AIDS has now become the leading cause of death among those aged 25-44. It is estimated that one in four new HIV infections in the U.S. are among people under age 20. In California, over 12,500 cases of AIDS have been reported among those aged 20-29 It is highly likely that the majority of these young adults were infected at some point during their adolescence. Moreover, in a 1987 study, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in seven teenagers had contracted a sexually transmitted disease such as gnorrhea, herpes, chlamydia, or syphilis. "We are very concerned that AB 2248 will result in many students failing to receive preventive instruction to protect themselves from such infections. The parental consent form may be lost or parents may forget to send it in. Some parents who might not have *prohibited* their child from obtaining such instruction may be reluctant to sign a consent form *allowing* their child to attend. As a result, numerous students who are currently receiving such prevention instruction which could protect them from HIV could miss out on such an opportunity under AB 2248, resulting in increased HIV infections among California youth. "AIDS Project Los Angeles supports parents having the choice as to whether or not their child receives such education; HOWEVER, THIS IS ALREADY THE CASE. Under current law, parents must be provided with written notice explaining the purpose of AIDS instruction and if the parent does not approve of the child receiving such instruction, the parent can request that their child be kept out of these classes. The reality is that many more parents support their children receiving AIDS and sexuality education than those that do not. Since this is the case, why should the burden be placed on those that would like their children to receive such education -- as would be the case under AB 2248 -- rather than on the minority of parents who wish to prohibit their child from receiving this education? "In addition, this bill eliminates control by local school districts. Under current law, local school districts can choose to require positive parental consent before providing AIDS prevention instruction. AB 2248 takes this option out of the school district's hands and instead imposes positive parental consent on all school districts in California... "Finally, this bill will result in skyrocketing costs for these vital prevention programs. When similar positive parental consent notification requirements were considered in the past for AIDS education, the Department of Finance estimated that parental notification costs would jump from $50,000 to over $1.08 million." [Fred Dillon is online at FPDillon@aol.com] Brenda Romney, Legislative Advocate for Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, makes the following points in HER March 18th letter to Baldwin: "Health education is critical. [...] Respect for parental rights is critical. [...] Existing law balances respect for parental rights and the critical need for health education. A 1995 Field Institute Poll released by the California Center for Health Improvement finds that while 97% of Californians endorse proposals aimed at encouraging parents to talk more to their kids about teenage pregnancy, 90% also supported establishing more school based education programs about pregnancy prevention." [Brenda Romney can be reached at 916 446 5247] ----------end March 29 message------ **** CURRENT SITUATION UPDATE from Fred Dillon, (916/443-9055) **** Legislative Analyst for AIDS Project Los Angeles: Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 23:03:41 -0400 To: jessea@uclink4.berkeley.edu Subject: Re: AIDS education bill now in legislature AB 2248 (Baldwin) is scheduled for Assembly Appropriations next week and will probably hit the Assembly floor the following week or so. [i.e. week of May 20, 1996]. Thus, another action alert would be a good idea--encouraging everyone to write/phone their Assembly Member and vote against it on the floor. Also, the article [May 14, 1996] in the SF Chronicle [front page] mentioned a section in the bill that deleted the requirement that AIDS education include teaching compassion for people living with AIDS. Just so you know, that section has now been amended and keeps the part about teaching compassion but states that this in no way should imply condoning drugs use or alternative lifestyles or sexual practices ( this isn't the exact language, but you get the meaning--they're basically trying to make it so that AIDS ed cannot be used to "promote" homosexuality). The bill is opposed by the State Dept of Education, the California School Boards Association, the Association of CA School Administrators; The LA, SanDiego and SF Unified School Districts; and by various AIDS orgs throughout the state. In addition, the Assembly Budget Committee that deals with the AIDS Budget adopted language that requires affirmative parental consent for AIDS ed. Thus, they are now trying to get this language implemented not only through a bill (AB 2248) but also through the state budget process. In addition, one of the Democrats on the committee (Martha Escutia from Los Angeles) voted in favor of this language. You may want to mention this as well in your action alert. ------------------------ [slight amendment to earlier alert sent re ACLU - RPE suit re condom distribution in Philadelphia PA schools...we said the 14th Amendment deals with due process. it does, although is perhaps better known for its treatment of EQUAL PROTECTION. again, the point is to BEWARE of the new RPE legal tactic of claiming that condom distribution denies them equal protection]. ================================================ ================================================ [note from The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project as we've said before, we believe homophobia to be very closely related to misogyny. we believe advancing gender equity in education is important to help eradicate homophobia] -----begin included message-------- Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 13:25:53 -0400 From: Marylin Hulme Subject: NCSEE CONFERENCE The seventeenth annual conference of the National Coalition for Sex Equity in Education will take place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Princeton, NJ ,on July 21-24, 1996. The conference program promises to be exciting, informative and diverse with workshops for all levels. The keynote speakers are Dr. Sonia Nieto, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, who will speak on the intersection of gender and ethnicity, and Dr. Michael Kimmel, SUNY-Stony Brook, who will speak on the critical juncture of women's and men's mutual interests in gender equity issues. Both speakers have agrees to lead an informal conversation in the following concurrent session to continue the dialogue. The first Plenary on Monday, July 22, is a panel on the impact of the present political al and legal climate on gender equity and those strateies that can be encouraged to sustain gender equity issues in education into the future. Moderated by Dr. Donna Elam, director of the Equity Assistance Center for Region B, invited panelists are April Osajima, American Association of University Women; Deborah Brake, National Women's Law Center (confirmed) and Cindy Marano, Wider Opportunities for Women, and Georgina Verdugo, MALDEF, and Sandra Battle, Special Assistant for Gender Equity, U.S. Department of Education. Among the subjects to be addressed during the intensive sessions on Sunday, July21, is the first all-day session "Raise Every Voice: An Equity Paradigm for Teacher Preparation", moderated by Katherine Hanson, WEEA Resource Center, who will be joined by David Sadker, American University, Washington, DC, John Cawthorne, National Urban League, Deirdre Armitage, Teacher Education Equity Project, New York, and Phyllis Lerner, Rebacca Gondek and others. The three-hour intensive sessions include one on gay, lesbian and bisexual youth (GALY-NJ), current legal developments under Title IX (NOWLDEF), two programs on gender equity models for school and community, and the ever-popular introduction to NCSEEand gender equity -- "Help Me Understand What You're Talking About" -- moderated by Meliassa Keyes, with Joshua Miller Stewart (GrayMill),Eva Ross (Ysleta School District, TX), Wayne Maeda (Connections Leadership Project, CA) and Agnes Parker Northern (US Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights) invited. Two special projects are being welcomed to the NCSEE conference this year: the NCSEE Inclusiveness Project, initiated by the Steering Committee, on increasing diversity within NCSEE, and the Gender Equity Expert Panel, organized by Susan Klein, of the US Department of Education OERI, with support by the WEEA Resurce Center. Both projects will be meeting during the conference and are looking for input from conference participants. As usual, exhibitors and vendors will bring new materials, and we have scheduled a Video View as an edutaining alternative to the concurrent sessions. It is not all work. In keeping with our location in the New York metropolitan are, we have invited the United Nations Singers to welcome participants at the reception on Sunday. A New York harbour cruise will be on the schedule for those who would like an organized activity on Tuesday afternoon. One of the entertainment highlights is Frederick Morsell, whom some of you may know better in his role as Frederick Douglass. He will be part of the grnd finale on Wednesday evening, playing Frederick Douglass as a woman's rights man". Fred Morsell has also agreed to create a workshop on the ante-bellum period of United States history, examing the interplay of the Abolition and the Suffrage Movements. We look forward to welcoming you to the 17th Annual NCSEE Conference! *** For more information, please contact the co-chairs of this NJ/NY conference: Marylin A. Hulme Equty Assistance Center, hulme@gandalf.rutgers.edu 908-445-2071 FAX 908-445-0027(08- Patricia Mitchell, NJ Departmentt of Education, FAX 609-292-1211 609-984-5909 FAX 609-292-12114 Craig Flood , NYS Occupational Equity Center cflood@aol.com 518-786-3234 FAX 518-786-3245 Delia Garrity, Rockville Centre School District, NY 516-255-8979 FAX 516-763-0914 -------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------- *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+ OK TO RE-POST. Jessea Greenman The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) CHECK THIS OUT FOR TONS OF INFO - - http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/ Please cc us (for our files) on correspondence you send or receive re our action alerts. "As a straight, caucasian adoptive mother of two daughters of African ancestry, I'd much prefer to have RuPaul teaching my children in a classroom than any one of your hate-mongering ilk." said by one of our new subscribers to the religious political extremists in her area.