I did something new and different last week. I spoke out at a Hillsborough County School Board meeting.

The subject was a resolution for the school board to proclaim June 2023 LGBTQ Pride Month.

Here is the resolution:

Whereas, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month commemorates civil rights and works to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for LGBTQ+ Americans; and

Whereas, the School Board of Hillsborough County, Florida supports the rights of every student and employee to experience equality, equity and freedom from discrimination; and

Whereas, the School Board of Hillsborough County, Florida accepts and welcomes people of diverse backgrounds and believes a diverse population leads to a more vibrant community, which contributes greatly to our schools, neighborhoods, culture and social fabric of our District; and

Whereas, all people regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, color, religion, marital status, national origin or physical challenges have the right to be treated fairly and on the basis of their intrinsic value as human beings; and

Whereas, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer communities contribute to the educational, cultural, civic and economic successes of Hillsborough County; and

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the School Board of Hillsborough County, Florida does hereby declare the month of June 2023 as LGBTQ Pride Month and invites everyone to reflect on ways we all can live and work together with a commitment to mutual respect and understanding.

The board invited comments from the public before they issued their final decision.

My personal, somewhat cynical, belief is that a public board provides these forums as a formality to enable people to vent before the board makes its already-decided decision. Possibly, a board member is still wavering on a decision at this point and might be swayed by an eleventh-hour opinion but that has to be very rare.

All the same, I also believe it is important to get in there and fight for what you believe, and, who knows, maybe it will give a board member something to think about for when the subject matter comes around again.

The challenge was to figure out what to say that might actually change a board member’s mind. It would help to know what is driving each board member to consider the resolution and what they care about. I didn’t. Of course, I could make some pretty good guesses but I can’t read minds.

There was a lot to say about this one. It was a curious resolution as it was in regard to a month when there are no children in school. What’s more, it regarded only the month of June 2023. And that month was already two-thirds gone. If board members wanted to “reflect on ways we can all live and work together” they could just do it. They didn’t need a proclamation. If the goal was to “reflect on ways we can all live together”, why proclaim one group? This was pure virtue signaling.

Where to start? I figure I could have made my case opposing this resolution properly in under half an hour.

I had two minutes.

38 other people signed up to address this topic and more signed up to address other subjects on the agenda.

What was the most effective thing to say in two minutes? How best to present it?

I decided to for the personal approach, to tell a story rather than enumerate reasoned arguments, to minimize negativity, and to offer a positive solution. This is what I came up with:

Thank you for this opportunity to speak about this Pride Month resolution.

The stated purpose, to teach children to treat others with mutual respect and understanding, is laudable.

Should we do that by CELEBRATING a particular one percent of the population with PRIDE?

Let me suggest an alternative: Let’s teach kids to treat everyone equally by treating everyone equally.

One of my heroes is Alan Turing. He is a homosexual. He is my hero because I am a computer programmer and he is one of the fathers of computer programming. He is also the genius behind the Enigma Machine which turned the tide of World War II.

When I learned about Turing back in the seventies, sometimes his homosexuality was mentioned, and sometimes it was not.

When it was mentioned, his sexuality was neither celebrated nor condemned. Nor did anyone feel the need to omit him from the history books. It was just another interesting facet of his life. THAT is how you set the example to our children to treat others with mutual respect and understanding.

Unfortunately, that is not what I see in this resolution. Instead, you wish to CELEBRATE these people’s sexuality with PRIDE. You diminish their real contribution to the world and the attributes in them that students would do well to emulate. Instead, you highlight their social differences instead of their sameness.

I would love to see Alan Turing honored, even, yes, celebrated, in Hillsborough Schools. I would love to see a Month for Mathematicians, Scientists, Philosophers, or Statesmen. Celebrate great achievers. And yes, include the Alan Turings of the world. Let the children see that they, too, are treated with respect.

But please, don’t take your eye off the ball! Don’t trade in greatness for sexuality.

I edited this right up to the moment I presented and I continue to rewrite it in my head now. But the moment has passed.

Did my words have any effect? I will never know. The board members showed no reaction. They don’t have time to.

I was the tenth speaker out of 39 so I could then sit back and listen to the others. I heard all manner of talking points and all approaches. The cons slightly exceeded the pros 22–17.

Later that night, the resolution passed 5–1 with one abstention. (Can you guess how the two Republicans voted?)

Did any of this matter? Democrat board members signaled their Democrat virtue that the LGBTQ community already knew. Republican board members were reassured their supporters are out there. Board members, teachers, and staff will have the same conversations they were going to have about the LGBTQ community. The Republicans made their stand against LGBTQ social engineering and the LGBTQ were confirmed in their belief that Republicans are haters.

But, if you don’t speak up, the other side goes on challenged. Lies become truths.

When the next time comes, I plan to do my part again.

photo: Stephen Harlan