Harvey Milk
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) weighed in Saturday after three Southern California school board members managed to block an updated social studies curriculum from being formally approved because it included material about gay rights icon Harvey Milk, reports Yahoo News.
Temecula Valley School Board member Danny Gonzalez first prompted objections from community members gathered to watch the meeting by saying that Milk’s “lifestyle choices” were “wildly inappropriate” and calling him a “pedophile.”
The school board president, Joseph Komrosky, agreed with the characterization, claiming that including Milk in the curriculum amounted to “activism,” reports Yahoo News.
“An offensive statement from an ignorant person,” Newsom later responded in a tweet alongside a story about the incident.
“This isn’t Texas or Florida. In the Golden State, our kids have the freedom to learn. Congrats Mr. Komrosky you have our attention,” the governor tweeted, adding, “Stay tuned.”
Milk, who was assassinated in 1978, became one of the first openly gay men to be elected to public office as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He is only mentioned in supplemental materials, not the main textbook.
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