Effort Fails at Reversing California Gay History Law

California's first-in-the-nation gay history law will remain the law for public schools after a signature drive aimed at overturning it fell short for the second time in a year, Baptist Press reports. A pro-family coalition announced July 16 that it would not be able to gather the 505,000 signatures necessary to qualify an initiative to repeal SB 48 -- which went into effect Jan. 1 and requires that social science classes include the "role and contributions" of "lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans." SB 48 also mandates that "instructional materials," such as textbooks, must include the history of homosexuals and must not "reflect adversely" upon them. A signature drive last year to overturn the new law also fell short, but family advocates have hinted at continuing to try.