LGBTQ+ History Month proposal voted down by Miami-Dade County School Board

  A proposal to create an LGBTQ+ History Month that would take place in October was voted down by the Miami-Dade County School Board early T...

 A proposal to create an LGBTQ+ History Month that would take place in October was voted down by the Miami-Dade County School Board early Thursday, WPLG-TV reported.

What are the details?

The sponsor of the proposal said in a committee meeting last week that designating an LGBTQ+ History Month is a symbolic gesture akin to Hispanic Heritage Month and Black History Month, the station said. 

“Because the LGBTQ exists in Miami-Dade, it’s made significant contributions to our country and county, and we have LGTBQ students,” board member Lucia Baez-Geller said, according to WPLG. “It does not impact or affect instructional materials, and I cannot believe I have to say this out loud, but this item does not indoctrinate our students into any sort of lifestyle.”

Board members appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis were among those who voted no, the station said, adding that board Chair Mari Tere Rojas also voted no.

Vice Chair Danny Espino and other board members expressed concern about the proposal's legality, saying it might violate the new Parental Rights in Education law’s limits on discussion about sexual and gender identity in the K-12 educational system, WPLG reported. 

“At this point, unfortunately, I cannot support this,” Espino said, according to the station. 

At last week's committee meeting, board members who either were appointed or endorsed by DeSantis promised to vote no on the LGBTQ+ History Month proposal, WPLG reported.

“As constitutional officers, we have to uphold state law, and it’s very clear what that law is,” board member Monica Colucci said, according to the station.

But the school board attorney said similar items have passed in Broward and Orange Counties and do not break the law, WPLG reported.

“Our students are out there, and they’re visible, and we can’t put them back in the shadows, unfortunately, like some people would like to,” Baez-Geller said, according to the station.

Besides Baez-Geller's yes vote and no votes from Rojas, Espino, and Colucci, here's how the other board members voted: Luisa Santos and Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall voted yes; Roberto J. Alonso and Mary Blanco voted no, WPLG said.