PHILADELPHIA—Following protests by a small number of parents who wanted GLBT History Month removed from the 2007-2008 calendar, the Philadelphia School District dropped all celebratory months including Black History Month and Women’s History Month. Last year, for the first time, school officials produced about 200,000 calendars designating October as “Gay and Lesbian History Month.”
“It is appalling that a school district would drop months that recognize and educate our school children about the history and contributions of America’s diverse fabric,” stated Malcolm Lazin, Executive Director of Equality Forum. “It is long overdue that important national contributions made by gays and lesbians are openly recognized.”
Thomas Brady, the district’s interim CEO, supports the decision to eliminate the monthly designations in the annual calendar. According to the Philadelphia Gay News, Brady does not plan to actively crusade for GLBT students nor support a GLBT-studies program in the schools. While Brady is for people being treated fairly and equitably, he opposes lifting the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy banning openly gay servicemembers. “I’m very comfortable with where it is now. Fifty years from now and we’re having this conversation, it would be different,” stated Brady.
Starting in 2006, Equality Forum produces and distributes, nationally and internationally, educational information for GLBT History Month each October. GLBT History Month 2006 and 2007 Icons include James Baldwin, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, Martina Navratilova, Alexander the Great, Leonard Bernstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Cole Porter, Harvard University Reverend Peter Gomes, among others. The GLBT History Month Web site (www.glbtHistoryMonth.com) provides for each Icon a video, biography, bibliography and other educational resources.
“GLBT History Month is important for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) students and for the mainstream community, said Lazin. “The GLBT community is uniquely disadvantaged because it does not learn its history at home nor in public schools. It is important for young people to have role models, know their history and take pride in the national and international contributions of their community.”
ABOUT EQUALITY FORUM
Equality Forum is a national and international nonprofit, 501(c)(3) GLBT civil rights organization with an educational focus. Equality Forum develops high-impact educational content in the form of documentary films, history projects, innovative initiatives and the largest annual national and international GLBT civil rights forum. www.equalityforum.com |
