Group Opposing CA’s Gay History Law Accused Of Tricking People With Anti-Sexual Predator Petition

A group petitioning against California’s law to promote history of prominent gays and lesbians is being accused of tricking people into signing their petition by presenting it as an effort to crack down on child molesters and murderers.

The Courage Campaign in California filed a complaint with the state Attorney General, District Attorney, and the Oceanside City Attorney on Monday on behalf of Max Disposti, who alleges that he witnessed petitioners for Stop SB 48 using anti-child molester posters to draw people into signing the petition.

Stop SB 48 is campaigning for a ballot measure to overturn the state’s FAIR Education Act, which requires classrooms in California to include lessons about the historical contributions of a number of minorities, including gays and lesbians. According to the group, the law both “promotes the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender lifestyles” and “forces children to study materials that tell them their families’ values are wrong.”

Rick Jacobs, the chair and founder of the Courage Campaign, told TPM that his group has written to Stop SB 48 twice “because we have heard of instances of people who are gathering signatures actually lying,” but they haven’t responded.