Gong-Gershowitz Votes in Favor of Making History Curriculum More Inclusive, Include LGBT Contributions

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – To expand and improve history education for our children, state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, voted in favor of a bill to expand history curriculum to include contributions of the LGBT community.

“History gives us a sense of our past, a window in ourselves and the larger world around us. As we evolve, so too does our perspective on history. It is critical that we teach our youth an accurate and inclusive portrait of history so they may truly understand our past and are one day able to build upon it as they mature,” Gong-Gershowitz said.

House Bill 246 requires public schools to include instruction on the contributions and roles of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in their history curriculum. It also requires that textbooks must be non-discriminatory to any of the groups or characteristics under the Illinois Human Rights Act. The bill passed this week out of the House and now heads to the Senate.

Gong-Gershowitz represents the 17th House District which includes portions of Evanston, Glenview, Northbrook, Skokie and Wilmette.

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