The Miami-Dade school board rejected a resolution to recognize October as LGBTQ History Month for the third consecutive year, according to The Miami Herald.
The resolution, proposed by board member Lucia Baez-Geller and rejected in a 5-3 vote, would be a symbolic gesture that advocates say would help create a supportive environment for LGBTQ children and their families in schools. It would not alter classroom curriculums or require student participation.
Board member Danny Espino said in the meeting he would not support the proposal as it’s “a slippery slope that will replace parental consent with government consent.”
LGBTQ laws and proposals affecting public schools have been a hot-button issue as of late. HB 1069, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics, was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year to prevent schools from teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms.
Despite the controversy surrounding the presence of queer topics in public schools, proposals like Baez-Geller’s aren’t a new concept.
In 2012, Broward County was the first major school board to pass a resolution in support of LGBTQ History Month.
This year, the Broward County school board approved to recognize LGBTQ History Month in a 6-3 vote despite conservative pushback, according to the Sun Sentinel.
Broward County’s resolution stated that October serves as a reminder of the “important contributions of LGBTQ people in shaping the social, historical, legal, and political worlds we live in today.”
Other Florida counties, including Hillsborough, Orange and Palm Beach, voted for measures to recognize the month in its schools with little controversy.
The Miami-Dade school board meeting attracted hundreds of people from both sides of the issue. Christian Family Coalition (CFC) Executive Director Antonio Verdugo said the organization reached about 60,000 of its members in Miami-Dade to encourage them to attend the meeting.
Christians who spoke at the meeting, like Marsha Hertig, said recognizing LGBTQ History Month “is not right in the sight of God. He made us male and female and told us to reproduce.”
Maxx Fenning, founder of LGBTQ-youth focused org. PRISM, said approving the resolution would create more unity.
“There is more that unites us than divides us; we will not be persuaded by hate,” he said.
Though political tensions were high, Baez-Geller reminded her colleagues in the meeting that the proposal is legal due to a court settlement that modified parts of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Miami-Dade approved a proposal to recognize LGBTQ History Month in 2021 for the first time, but has since backtracked on that decision amid multiple bills and laws targeting queer rights in the state.
