Florida’s Miami-Dade county is pushing against teaching LGBTQ+ History Month in schools, despite the fact that they allowed it last year. Following “Don’t Say Gay,” a bill that banned discussion and education of gender and sexual identity in kindergarten to third grade classrooms, Miami-Dade’s school board is pushing to ban it outright. This would result in high school senior classes not being taught a vital part of modern history, and possibly a backslide in rights and social justice achieved in recent years.
Florida has had their fair share of politically and socially charged laws in their schools. After banning and unbanning sex education in their schools, they passed Don’t Say Gay. After Don’t Say Gay was passed, teachers and students alike were fearful, as the law is discriminatory, and many LGBTQ influencers and activists have been getting harassed and called “groomers,” a slur used to describe pedophiles. The same or similar anti-LGBTQ rhetoric can be predicted to happen again if Florida passes this bill in their schools.
LGBTQ+ History Month spans October. Pushback from local parents includes claims of indoctrination, brainwashing, and tainting their children. These ideas both demonize and dehumanize the LGBTQ+ community, creating a narrative that does not exist. The LGBTQ+ community has been fighting for the right to be seen as people, and not as monsters.
Conversely, many signatures were in favor of LGBTQ History Month being taught and recognized in schools, with Max Fenning, the founder of PRISM, Coventry’s LGBTQ youth group, saying, “You can’t teach history without controversy.” This sentiment is agreed with by at least 700 members of the committee. Lucia Baez-Geller articulated, “This item does not indoctrinate students. It does not force an agenda on students.”
Concerns on whether or not October will be observed are still circulating, but LGBTQ+ History Month will last until a decision is made.
