Proposition 6

Proposition 6, informally known as the Briggs Initiative, was an unsuccessful ballot initiative put to a referendum on the California state ballot in the November 7, 1978, election. It was sponsored by John Briggs, a conservative state legislator from Orange County. The failed referendum sought to ban homosexuals from working in California's public schools. Openly gay liberal politician Harvey Milk and Sally Miller Gearhart, as well as many other gay and lesbian activists of the time were instrumental in fighting the measure. Opposition to the proposition from a variety of public figures such as then-former California Governor Ronald Reagan and President Jimmy Carter helped to swing public opinion against it. Ronald Reagan, a conservative republican, publicly spoke out against the Briggs Initiative, stating that "there are enough laws that protect children".