(This post originally appeared HERE on the GLAAD blog.)

Today is national Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Day, an annual time when LGBTQ students and allies across the country show their support for GSAs on school campuses.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A broad coalition of advocates for equality have launched a coordinated effort to protect the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act and to educate the public about its impact.

The coalition includes people of faith; labor organizations; LGBT rights groups; disability rights advocates; racial justice organizations and many other groups who care about equality.

ACLU San Diego, Equality California, Gay-Straight Alliance Network and the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers are among the leaders of the coalition.

SACRAMENTO -- A bill that would require California public schools to fairly and accurately portray the historic contributions of LGBT people in social science instruction passed the Senate in a 23-14 vote.

The bill now heads to the Assembly rules committee.

The Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act (SB 48), authored by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), would also add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state's existing anti-discrimination protections that prohibit bias in school activities, instruction and instructional materials.