Advocating for Volusia County LGBTQ+ Students
On March 8th, 2022, I attended the Volusia County School Board Regular Meeting to make a public comment on behalf of DeLand Pride in response to HB 1557 and SB 1834 passing in the state legislature. My comments are below in full.
We will continue to support and advocate for LGBTQ+ students in our community.
- Heather McLean, Public Information Officer
Good evening Chairman Colón, board members, and Superintendent Fritz -
My name is Heather McLean and I'm proud to serve the DeLand LGBTQ+ community as Public Information Officer for the non-profit organization DeLand Pride. My wife and I are also parents of a five-year-old.
Our organization is concerned about what kind of effects the proposed Parents Rights in Education Bill could have on the vulnerable population of LGBTQ+ students in our schools.
This bill proposes to ban discussion of sexuality in grades K-3, and could require schools to notify parents if their child, of any age, identifies as LGBTQ.
First, the idea that the district encourages teaching of LGBTQ issues in K to 3 in the first place is ludicrous. Especially when the school board itself (who are supposed to represent ALL people in this community) couldn’t even agree on a toothless recognition of LGBTQ mental health awareness, a recognition that required no curriculum, no activities, and no class announcements.
Recently, there have been comments attacking the county’s LGBTQ support guide, which has since been removed online.
The support guide itself stated, in response to a parent question, “Aren’t our children too young to begin a discussion of LGBTQ issues?”
Quote, “By addressing LGBTQ issues in school, we are not talking about sex with your children – we are talking about family, identity, and respect for others. Our obligation as educators is to confront stereotypes and address inappropriate language to make schools safe and accessible for all students and families. These discussions are not about sex or sexual activity or body parts but are about respect for differences.”
When a student calls another “gay” as a derogatory term in class, what can a teacher do? Will this be a teaching moment about respecting differences, or will teachers be silenced while students are bullied? When a student says they have gay parents, and others have questions, what do you think will happen?
Second, all of the talk about parents’ rights ignores the constitutionally protected rights of these children to free speech, and to be taught in a safe environment.
LGBTQ youth exist in our schools, whether they are acknowledged or not, and are especially vulnerable. We know that LGBTQ students are much more likely to experience bullying, harassment, assault, and to commit self-harm and suicide. We know that Volusia County students experience this at a higher rate than even nationally, according to a 2017 district survey.
And, not all parents are accepting of their children. Studies have shown over and over that parental rejection of LGBTQ kids is closely tied with youth homelessness, as well as suicide rates. These children will lose protections that are already in place if educators are required to notify parents when children confide in them, or when children wish to share their identities with their peers.
We must continue to support the freedom and rights of our students, including their right to be taught in a safe environment. The freedom and rights of parents have been discussed at length in the last 2 years, but those should not come at the expense of the freedom and rights of any of the students in this district.
We ask that the board supports the LGBTQ Support Guide's continued existence, regardless of the outcome of the current bills moving through Tallahassee. We ask that the board supports LGBTQ students and their families, regardless of whether people would rather we didn’t exist at all.