Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill on July 14  requiring accomplishments of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) to be taught in California history classes and included in school textbooks.

The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), was passed by Democratic majorities in both Assembly and Senate.

This law is the first of its kind in mandating LGBT studies at the K-12 level. This continues a trend towards the politicization of K-12 curriculum by state governments.

In the last decade, several southern and mid-western states have tried to adopt the language of the “Santorum Amendment” which would have amended the “No Child Left Behind Act” to permit the teaching of creationism in the form of “Intelligent Design” in the classroom.

As of 2011, only Louisiana succeeded in passing into law its own version of this law. Similar legislation remains pending in other states.

Supporters argue that learning about LGBT historical figures would result in less bullying and a better promotion of understanding of those groups.

“Today we are making history in California by ensuring that our textbooks and instructional materials no longer exclude the contributions of LGBT Americans,” Leno said to the Los Angeles Times. “Denying LGBT people their rightful place in history gives our young people an inaccurate and incomplete view of the world around them.’’

Governor Brown issued a statement calling the bill an “important step forward for our state.’’

“History should be honest,” added Brown.  “This bill revises existing laws that prohibit discrimination in education and ensures that the important contributions of Americans from all backgrounds and walks of life are included in our history books.’’

While the bill has been passed, many Californians have expressed opposition to the bill, arguing that it imposes a gay agenda upon students.

Paulo Sibaja, legislative director of the Capitol Resource Institute, a socially conservative organization in Sacramento, claims the bill “does absolutely nothing to reduce bullying, improve the poor state of our education system, ensure students graduate or prepare them for global competitiveness.

“Instead it diverts precious classroom time away from science, math, reading and writing, and focuses on the agenda of a small group of people,” Sibaja continued.

The true impact of the legislation has yet to be seen as both sides gear up for future arguments over the merits of the bill.