Board approves textbooks with marriage definition
The Dallas Morning News, Friday, November 5, 2004
Associated Press

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AUSTIN -- The State Board of Education approved health textbooks for Texas high school and middle school students on Friday, after publishers said they would change the wording in their books to reflect marriage as being between a man and a woman.

A day earlier, a board member had said the books attempted to nullify Texas' law banning the recognition of same-sex civil unions because the books used terms like "married partners" but did not define marriage as an institution between a man and a woman.

After hearing the debate Thursday, one publisher, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, said it was changing the textbooks to include a definition of marriage as a "lifelong union between a husband and a wife." The definition, which was added to middle school textbooks, already was in Holt's high school editions, Holt spokesman Rick Blake said.

The other publisher, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, changed wording throughout books from phrases like "when two people marry" and "partners" to "when a man and a woman marry" and "husbands and wives."

Board member Mary Helen Berlanga, D-Corpus Christi, asked the panel to approve the books without the changes. Her proposal was rejected.

"We're not supposed to make changes at somebody's whim," Berlanga said. "It's a political agenda, and we're not here to follow a political agenda."

The elected board, which includes 10 Republicans and five Democrats, is allowed to reject books only because of factual errors or failure to follow state-mandated curriculum. A list of the books that were approved, as well as those that were not, are sent to school districts for guidance when they choose books.

Board member Terri Leo, R-Spring, said she was pleased with the publisher's changes. She had led the effort to get the publishers to change the books.

"Marriage has been defined in Texas, so it should also be defined in our health textbooks that we use as marriage between a man and a woman," Leo said.

Texas only permits marriage between a man and a woman. Last year, state lawmakers passed the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the state from recognizing same-sex civil unions.

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Blake said Holt does not contemplate adding its definition of marriage in books that will be sold outside Texas. He would not say how many books the company expects to sell in Texas.

"The board expressed an interest in having us (make the change)," Blake said. "We thought it was a reasonable thing to do."

A spokeswoman for Glencoe/McGraw-Hill did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press.

Neither publisher added all the changes Leo initially pushed for Thursday. For instance, one proposed passage in the teacher's editions read: "Opinions vary on why homosexuals, lesbians and bisexuals as a group are more prone to self-destructive behaviors like depression, illegal drug use, and suicide."

Randall Ellis, the executive director of the Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas, said the board overstepped its bounds in suggesting and adopting the new wording.

"Their job is to review for factual information and instead what we see is the insertion of someone's ideology and agenda into the textbook of middle-schoolers," Ellis said.

The board's approval caps months of debate over health textbooks. Much of the debate had centered on how much sex education should be included in high school books.

Some said the books did not include enough information about contraception, family planning, birth control and other issues. Some board members said they believed there was adequate information covered in supplemental versions of the textbooks that are given to school districts.