On Sept. 7, the Miami-Dade School Board struck down a proposal that would have recognized October as "LGBTQ History Month" out of concern that it would violate the state's Parental Rights in Education law, known by opponents as "Don't Say Gay," Politico reported.
Miami school board members passed a similar resolution acknowledging LGBTQ+ History Month in 2021 by a seven-to-one vote, but found themselves in a different situation this fall. Although the board's own attorney said the recognition was on a solid legal footing, board members voted eight to one against the idea after dozens of parents and community members raised their opposition at a marathon meeting.
Aside from recognizing October as LGBTQ History Month, the proposal was altered this year to explore the possibility of providing resources for teachers in 12th-grade social studies to teach about "important landmark civil-rights" cases, such as the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling that recognized marriage equality.
The board member who introduced the proposal, Lucia Baez-Geller, claimed that a "symbolic gesture" was hijacked by "ugly falsities" and "just plain disinformation."
In its own press release, Equality Florida aired its displeasure with the vote. Equality Florida Senior Political Director Joe Saunders stated, "The Don't Say LGBTQ law is rooted in the same dangerous tropes about LGBTQ people and baseless attacks on teachers that were on full display in public comments at last night's hearing. We are shocked and alarmed to see this reversal from the Miami Dade School Board. This is a horrible signal to send to the thousands of LGBTQ youth in Miami-Dade County public schools. Voting down this simple recognition of our LGBTQ community makes our schools less safe."
