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dontmean2bepoliticalbut · 2 years

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After debate citing indoctrination and Nazis, Miami-Dade School Board rejects LGBTQ month

After listening to more than three hours of angry debate, with one side likening the measure to student indoctrination and the other talking about how Nazis ostracized gays and lesbians with a pink triangle, the Miami-Dade School Board voted late Wednesday evening to slap down a measure recognizing October as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer History Month and teaching 12th graders about two landmark Supreme Court cases impacting the LGBTQ communities.

The vote was 8-1 with board member Lucia Baez Geller, who proffered the item, the only one voting for the measure.

The vote brought out droves of parents, teachers and students — along with a contingent of Proud Boys, who got in a loud argument with a person hoisting a trans flag outside the School Board 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 enter 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 discussing whether to recognize October as LGBTQ+ History Month in schools on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, at the board’s headquarters in downtown Miami. Sommer Brugal [email protected]

“There is an election year and the anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric is a tool used by some to spread misinformation,” said board member Lucia Baez Geller. “This is just plain disinformation.”

Baez Geller’s proposal called for recognizing October as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) History Month and teaching 12th graders about two Supreme Court landmark decisions — Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015 (recognizing same-sex marriage) and Bostock v. Clayton County in 2020 (finding an employer can’t fire someone for being gay or transgender).

The school district recognizes many months throughout the school year to teach students about history, whether it be about Hispanic heritage, Black history or women’s history. October is National LGBT History Month.

A woman looks up at Maxx Fenning while 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 organization that provides sexual health information to LGBTQ+ youth, wore a pink triangle as he likened opposition to the measure to how Nazis ostracized gay people, making them wear a pink triangle badge to reflect their sexual orientation. Alie Skowronski [email protected]

Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, Baez Geller said the measure “is mostly to recognize the dignity and the respect for each other.” On Wednesday, she noted that 12th graders could opt out of learning about the two Supreme Court cases.

Alex Serrano, director of the Miami-Dade chapter 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, Sept. 7, 2022. The group fought the School Board over a sex-education textbook that the board first banned, then reinstated in a second vote. Serrano has no children in Miami-Dade Public Schools. He sends his children to Centner Academy, a Miami private school with a controversial anti-COVID-19 vaccination agenda. Alie Skowronski [email protected]

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 the 12th grade coursework.

Around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, nearly six hours after the discussion first began — with a nearly one-hour 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 vote defeating the measure.

Before the vote, many who spoke in favor of the adoption, including numerous human rights organizations, argued a recognition would create a safe and reaffirming environment for students in the district. Many cited discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community and how many students struggle with mental health issues.

Maxx Fenning, president and founder of PRISM FL, a nonprofit organization that provides sexual health information to LGBTQ+ youth, likened those who wanted to block the measure to how Nazis ostracized gay people, making them wear a pink badge to reflect their sexual orientation.

“LGBTQ history is American history,’’ he said, noting if he were alive when the Nazis were in power, he would have been forced to wear the pink triangle badge that he wore on his shirt as he spoke.

Another man, who was a product of Miami-Dade Public Schools, urged the board members to pass the measure, noting he did not want students to feel the isolation that he did when he was a gay student in school decades ago.

“I can tell you as a gay child, I felt completely alone,’’ he said.

Those who opposed the measure said it went against their religious beliefs and that the board was abiding in the indoctrination and sexual abuse of children. Some, however, falsely claimed that the measure would adopt new curriculum for students to learn about LGBTQ+ issues. They said it was a gateway to speaking with students about LGBTQ+ topics without parental consent.

Max Tover, a pastor and parent in the district, led those outside in a prayer, asking that the board members reject the motion. In speaking to the Herald, he said passing the measure is “a Trojan Horse.” His friend, who wouldn’t provide his name, said talking about the law equates to child abuse.

During the public comment period, parent after parent who opposed the measure used the term “indoctrination” when speaking against the measure, saying it was parents’ right 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 nor did it take away parental choice, as many who opposed the measure cited the recently passed “Parental Rights in Education” law, which prohibits instruction related to gender identity or sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade. Those opposed to the law say it could potentially restrict such instruction for older kids and have called it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Baez Geller reiterated that parents could opt out of the 12th-grade lessons on the Supreme Court cases, but noted that students already learn about other Supreme Court cases that have become the law of the land, and these two cases are no different, she said.

Shortly before the vote, Andrea S. Pita Mendez, the board’s student adviser, spoke in favor of the item, despite feeling scared to share how she felt and what she believed in after listening to the multiple hours of public comment. Nevertheless, she said, she was elected by her peers to represent the student body, which she said supported the item.

Moreover, she said, she disagreed with board member Lubby Navarro’s comments claiming parents were the district’s clients. Instead, she argued, students were the district’s clients.

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justmissg · 6 years

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GET TO KNOW THE BLOGGER

rules: answer 20 questions, then tag 20 bloggers that you want to get to know better.

I was tagged by the fantastic @jerepars, @itsindiansummer13, @cooperbettycooper and @aisforr thanks! i LOVE to do these things💕

1) name: Maria Fernanda

2) nicknames: mostly Mafe, but also, Fer, Marifer, Fen, Fenanita, and I refer to myself as Fernanda hehe

3) height: 5′3

4) orientation: Heterosexual

5) nationality: Mexican/American

6) favourite fruit: Straberries

7) favourite season: Winter

8) favourite flower: Peonies and Sunflowers

9) favourite scent: there’s this candle I bought at TJ Maxx last month and is the best fucking thing I have ever smelled! Fruity and flowery💖

10) favourite colour: bright blue and green!!

11) favourite animal: horses

12) coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: hot chocolate

13) average sleep hours: 6-8 hours

14) dog or cat person: I think cat because they are not as demanding as dogs, but I love dogs so much!

15) favourite fictional character: Hermione Granger FOREVER!❤️

16) number of blankets you sleep with: One, my TARDIS blanket

17) dream trip: A 3 month long trip through England, Europe, and India, Dubai, Arabia, Egypt, Jerusalem.... basically everywhere hehe

18) blog created: I think April or May this year

19) number of followers: 206 amazing humans!

20) random fact: I am a belly dance

I will tag @rainystripe, @lusterrdust @ao3feed-jugheadxbetty @jugandbettsdetectiveagency @lessoleilscouchants @lazydaizies @ultrajennycat-bui75 @juggiexbets @zor-el-schott @amab1060 @ohxdarling @princessaurorasnow and anyone who hasn’t done this already!! And if I tagged you and you have done it... my apologies!!!

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