New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation on Thursday requiring state Boards of Education to “include instruction, and adopt instructional materials, that accurately portray political, economic, and social contributions of persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.”
New Jersey is the second state to mandate LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum in its schools. California passed the requirement in 2012.
Wrote the governor's office in a press release: “This law would require that LGBTQ Americans, as well as Americans with disabilities, are included and recognized for their significant historic contributions to the economic, political, and social development of New Jersey and the United States. Specifically, this legislation would add LGBTQ people and individuals with disabilities to the existing list of underrepresented cultural and ethnic groups, which are covered by current law related to inclusion in textbooks and other instructional materials in schools.”
Said Executive Director of Garden State Equality Christian Fuscarino: “It's critical that our classrooms highlight the achievements of LGBTQ people throughout history. Our youth deserve to see how diverse American history truly is—and how they can be a part of it one day, too. I'm thankful to Governor Murphy for making New Jersey the second state in the nation to have a law promoting LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum.”
The bill was sponsored by Senators Loretta Weinberg, Teresa Ruiz, Assemblypersons Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Mila Jasey, Joann Downey, and former Assemblypersons Reed Gusciora and Tim Eustace.
