Culture and Social Issues

Gavin Newsom Signs Law Barring Removal Of LGBTQ Books From Schools

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Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday that will ban school boards from removing books that teach racial or LGBTQ topics in the classroom.

School boards around the U.S. are removing books and materials from classrooms that parents have deemed inappropriate, causing books with overtly racial or sexual material to become a flashpoint in the culture wars. A.B. 1078, which Newsom signed, will prevent school boards from banning instructional materials or library books that include information teaching about racial or LGBTQ topics, and will allow the county superintendent to take unilateral action to include these materials, according to the bill.

“From Temecula to Tallahassee, fringe ideologues across the country are attempting to whitewash history and ban books from schools. With this new law, we’re cementing California’s role as the true freedom state: a place where families — not political fanatics — have the freedom to decide what’s right for them,” Newsom said in a press release.

Newsom previously fined the Temecula Valley Unified School District $1.5 million in July for not adopting the governor’s proposed LGBTQ curriculum.

School boards in California are pushing back on the legislature and Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta’s LGBTQ policies by implementing rules in opposition to the California Democratic party, such as parental transgender notification policies, as well as rejecting LGBTQ materials in classrooms.

“AB 1078 sends a strong signal to the people of California — but also to every American — that in the Golden State — we don’t ban books — we cherish them,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.

Newsom did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.