The vote was 8-1 with board member Lucia Baez Geller, who moved the point, the only vote in favor of the measure. The vote brought out crowds of parents, teachers and students — along with a group of Proud Boys, who loudly scuffled with a person raising a transgender flag outside the School Board’s headquarters at 1450 NE Second Ave. in downtown Miami. Throughout Wednesday, about 35 to 45 people stood in line in the afternoon sun outside the building, waiting to get in to make their comments known. A person waving a transgender flag stands in front of a group of proud boys outside a contentious Miami-Dade school board meeting debating whether to recognize October as LGBTQ+ History Month in schools Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, at the administration’s headquarters council in downtown Miami. The board heard more than three hours of comments from students, teachers and parents before voting 8-1 to defeat the measure. Sommer Brugal [email protected] “It’s an election year and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric is a tool some are using to spread misinformation,” said board member Lucia Baez Geller. “This is plain misinformation.” Baez Geller’s motion called for October to be recognized as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) History Month and for 12th graders to be taught two important Supreme Court decisions — Obergefell v. Hodges (recognition of same-sex marriage) and Bostock v. Clayton County (Finding an employer can’t fire someone for being gay or transgender). The school district recognizes several months during the school year to teach students about history, whether it’s Hispanic heritage, black history, or women’s history. October is National LGBT History Month. A woman looks up to Maxx Fenning as he speaks in support of the Miami-Dade School Board designating October as LGBTQ+ History Month. Fenning, president and founder of PRISM FL, a nonprofit that provides sexual health information to LGBTQ+ youth, wore a pink triangle as he likened opposition to the measure to the way Nazis ostracized gays, making them to wear a pink triangle to reflect their sex life. orientation. Alie Skowronski [email protected] Before Wednesday’s meeting, Baez Geller said the measure “is primarily about recognizing dignity and respect for each other.” On Wednesday, he noted that Grade 12 students could opt out of learning about the two Supreme Court cases. Alex Serrano, of County Citizens Defending Freedom, speaks against recognizing LGBTQ History Month in October in Miami-Dade Public Schools at the School Board meeting on Wednesday, September 7, 2022. Alie Skowronski [email protected] READ MORE: Miami school board approved LGBTQ+ History Month last year. Now, pushback was expected Last year, the board voted 7-1 to recognize October as (LGBTQ) Month, but last year’s measure did not include the provision to add the two Supreme Court cases to 12th-grade courses. Around 9:45 p.m. on Wednesday, nearly six hours after the debate first began — with a nearly hour-long break to hear about the district’s $7 billion budget in between — the Board finally voted. Those still in the audience cheered and clapped while others sat stoically after the 8-1 defeat of the measure. READ MORE: Will 2 Miami school board members backed by DeSantis be independent? Some ask Before the vote, many in favor of adoption, including several human rights organizations, argued that recognition would create a safe and affirming environment for the district’s students. Many mentioned discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community and how many students struggle with mental health issues. Maxx Fenning, president and founder of PRISM FL, a nonprofit that provides sexual health information to LGBTQ+ youth, likened those who wanted to block the measure to the way Nazis ostracized gays by making them wear a pink badge to reflect their sexual orientation. “LGBTQ history is American history,” he said, noting that if he had lived when the Nazis were in power, he would have been forced to wear the pink triangle badge he wore on his shirt as he spoke. Another man, a product of Miami-Dade Public Schools, urged board members to pass the measure, noting that he didn’t want students to feel the isolation he felt when he was a gay student at the school decades ago. “I can tell you as a gay kid, I felt completely alone,” he said. Those who opposed the measure said it went against their religious beliefs and that the council condoned indoctrination and sexual abuse of children. Some, however, falsely argued that the measure would adopt new curriculum for students to learn about LGBTQ+ issues. They said it was a portal to talk to students about LGBTQ+ issues without parental consent. Max Tover, a pastor and parent in the area, led those outside in a prayer, asking board members to reject the proposal. Speaking to the Herald, he said exceeding the measure was “a Trojan Horse”. His friend, who did not give his name, said discussing the law was tantamount to child abuse. During the public comment period, parents who opposed the measure used the term “indoctrination” when speaking against the measure, saying it was the right of parents to decide whether to teach their children about gay and lesbian rights, not teachers in public schools. Baez Geller countered that the measure did not indoctrinate students or take away parental choice, as many who opposed the measure cited the recently passed Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits teaching about gender identity or sexual orientation in kindergarten through third. Degree. Those opposed to the law say it could potentially limit such guidance for older children and have dubbed it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Baez Geller reiterated that parents could opt out of 12th grade lessons on Supreme Court cases, but noted that students already learn about other Supreme Court cases that have become law of the land, and these two cases are no different , he said. . Shortly before the vote, Andrea S. Pita Mendez, the board’s student adviser, spoke in favor of the issue, even though she was afraid to share how she felt and what she believed after hearing the many hours of public comment. However, she said, she was elected by her classmates to represent the student body, which she said supported the issue. In addition, he said, he took issue with board member Luby Navarro’s comments that claimed the parents were customers of the district. Instead, he argued, the students were the district’s customers. This story was originally published on September 7, 2022 at 10:04 pm. Sommer Brugal is the K-12 education reporter for the Miami Herald. Before arriving in Miami, he covered three school districts on Florida’s Treasure Coast for TCPalm, part of the USA Today network.
