Date: Mon, 18 Sep 1995 08:49:55 -0400 From: Mary Ann Murphy Subject: CA Health Ed. materials Following is a sample letter on lesbigay issue. It is for California residents to send to the members of the State Board of Education. Following is a list of the members with their addresses and fax numbers: Mrs. Marion McDowell (President) Mrs. Dorothy Jue Lee 896 Bauer Dr. 2248 Foster Ave. San Carlos, CA 94070 Ventura, CA 93001 (415) 591-5949 (805) 648-2114 Ms Gerti B. Thomas (Vice-President) Mrs S. William Markasian 555 Pierce St, #1106 3521 Welch Court Albany, CA 94706 Sacramento, CA 95821 (510) 525-7519 (916) 657-5478 Mrs. Kathryn Dronenburg Mr. Sanford C. Sigoloff 5001 Ligia Place 3340 Ocean Park Blvd., Suite 3050 El Cajon, CA 92020 Santa Monica, CA 90405 (619) 442-4702 (310) 452-5555 Mr. Jerry Hume Mr. Gary L. Weston 600 Montgomery St., 28th Floor 20975 Claire Rd. San Francisco, CA 94111 Perris, CA 92750 (415) 705-5120 Mrs. Yvonne W. Larsen P.O. Box 80456 San Diego, CA 92138 (619) 222-7015 If you do send a letter, make a phone call or send an E-mail message on this issue please let us know. We need to know whether our efforts are effective. September 15, 1995 The Hon. Marion McDowell, President The California State Board of Education P.O. Box 944272 Sacramento, CA 94244-2720 Dear President McDowell: This Fall the State Board of Education will be reviewing health education materials that will be used in California classrooms over the next 5-7 years. I would like to take this opportunity to strongly urge that the Board provide inclusive health education materials that offer all students truthful and factual information about sexual orientation. Proper health education for all school children is a life and death matter. Gay, lesbian and bisexual young people need to know that they are normal and healthy and deserve respect in our society. Heterosexual youth need to be taught the same thing and that homophobia is a societal illness based on bias, ignorance and prejudice. Proper health education can help bring an end to homophobia, a highly destructive disease, for which all students are at risk. A recent survey by the American Association of University Women, found that the greatest fear of school children in U.S. schools is the fear of being called "gay." Public education offers the most humane and cost effective way of dealing with homophobic bigotry. The National Education Association passed a resolution in 1994 calling for accurate portrayal of lesbian, gay and bisexual people throughout history including acknowledgement of their sexual orientation; acceptance of diverse sexual orientation and the awareness of sexual stereotyping; and elimination of sexual orientation based name calling and jokes in the classroom. But, teachers cannot provide this kind of classroom education without health texts that provide inclusive, un-biased information. The "Health Framework" previously adopted by your Board provides a clear mandate for health education materials that meet the above standards. The failure to provide such materials would be an abandonment of the Board's responsibility to provide youth with the truth about sexual orientation. All of our children, gay or not, deserve objectivity and inclusiveness in health education materials. Whenever we fail to teach the truth today, we pay for it --- many times over --- tomorrow. Yours truly,