Equality California (EQCA), the state's largest gay rights group, has accused foes of SB48 of tricking voters into signing petitions to overturn the state's gay history law.

Governor Jerry Brown in July signed into law the measure which mandates the inclusion of the historical contributions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans in the state's textbooks.

Starting as early as the 2013-2014 school year, Senate Bill 48 (SB48) or the FAIR Education Act, sponsored by state Senator Mark Leno, a Democrat, requires the California Board of Education and local school districts to include the curriculum in their lesson plans.

Opponents reacted swiftly, submitting ballot language to the state for a proposed referendum. The groups have until October 12 to collect the signatures of 504,760 registered voters to qualify for the next statewide ballot.

On Thursday, EQCA accused STOP SB48, the group spearheading the effort to repeal the law, of using “ugly scare tactics and lies to trick voters into signing petitions.”

As evidence, they point to video captured by Max Disposit of the North County LGBTQ Resource Center.

“While walking with my husband along the beachfront of Oceanside Harbor in San Diego County, I used my cell phone to capture video of a woman collecting signatures at a booth that appears to be an effort to protect kids from child molesters. I was shocked and disgusted when I realized that she was collecting signatures for the referendum to the FAIR Education Act,” Disposit wrote in an email to EQCA supporters.

In the clip, Disposit is heard saying he was attracted to the booth because it was about Chelsea's Law, the legislation signed into law last year which calls for tougher sentences and parole conditions for sex offenders. Posters also included references to Elizabeth Smart, the 14-year-old girl who in 2002 was abducted from her Salt Lake City, Utah bedroom. During her 9 months of captivity, Smart was repeated raped and forced to watch pornographic films. (The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)