As LGBTQ+ History Month approaches, Florida school districts are grappling with a perplexing question: does recognizing the historic month mean breaking state laws? The board of Florida’s largest school district says yes. On September 6 the Miami-Dade School Board rejected LGBTQ+ History Month for the second year in a row, citing the Parental Rights in Education Bill as a possible issue.
The Parental Rights in Education Bill, or House Bill (H.B.) 1557, was signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis last March and took effect in July of 2022. The bill—also known as the “Don’t say gay” bill—prohibits classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in grades K-3. In April of this year, DeSantis and Florida’s board of education expanded the bill to include all grades K-12.
Lucia Baez-Geller, the sponsor of Miami-Dade’s LGBTQ+ History measure, is adamant that recognizing the significance of the month won’t break the law. “There is no impact on curriculum nor instruction. It is symbolic. It is non-binding,” Baez-Geller says. “All it is asking is to show support for students. And I do not think that is too much to ask in this day and age.”
But School Board Vice Chair Danny Espino, and the majority of the board, disagreed. “I really don’t know how a teacher is expected to recognize, observe, and celebrate this month without being perceived by students’ parents as instruction,” says Espino.
Florida school boards are at odds. Despite Miami-Dade’s decision, the Palm Beach County School Board doesn’t intend to change its plans—the district will recognize LGBTQ+ History Month, just like it did last year. “Just for the board, I want to point out that last year the school board approved the LGBTIQ proclamation on October 19. This year it will be on your agenda for October 18,” Palm Beach County Superintendent, Michael Burke, says.
“That’s why I compliment the Palm Beach County School Board,” says Tom Lander, chairman of the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Safe Schools South Florida. “Every year, you have endorsed LGBTIQ+ history. Because if you don’t, you erase some of our children’s existence and their reality.”
