"Bill crafts Disneyland version of history"

Excerpt. . . from David A Lehrer, president of Community Advocates Inc., a Los Angeles-based human relations group

"[California] Senate Bill 48 expands the Education Code mandates for 'culturally and racially diverse groups' to include lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender folks and requires that they be 'accurately portrayed,' an inarguably noble goal.

"But within a few lines of extolling accuracy, SB 48 warns that no 'textbook or other instructional material shall contain any matter reflecting adversely' upon the persons portrayed. The state's 'standards' further warn that when ethnic or cultural groups are portrayed, their 'customs. . . (must not be shown) as undesirable and must not reflect adversely on such differences.' Either historians portray history and the groups that have made history 'accurately' or they mold what they write so as not to 'reflect adversely' on the groups and their customs; they can't do both. Our leaders are trying to craft a Disneyland version of history -- a veritable Fantasyland -- everything is going to be both accurate and positive. . . .

"Maybe it's time to stop this silliness and ask that our textbooks take a fresh, honest look at history; recount the roles of all relevant groups without political embellishment or distortion."