By Cliff Dunn

FORT LAUDERDALE – On September 19, the School Board of Broward County unanimously passed a resolution in support of LGBT History Month, which takes place October 2012. The school district is the nation’s first to issue such a resolution, which states: “The School Board of Broward County, Florida appreciates and recognizes the importance of LGBT History Month as an effective means of educating and calling to action the citizens of Broward County to work together to promote equal protection of all Broward County students and staff, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.”

“The Broward School Board is to be commended,” said Malcolm Lazin, Executive Director of the Equality Forum, and founder of LGBT History Month. “They have broken the cocoon of invisibility, affirmed the important role of [LGBT] Americans and taken a pioneering step in embracing diversity, inclusion, and respect.”

An early LGBT History Month was commemorated in 1994 by Missouri highschool history class. Broward County, which has the nation’s sixth largest school district, is the first to support it since, although the Los Angeles Unified School District may also be considering passage of a similar measure.

The Philadelphia-based Equality Forum, which serves as the “guardian” and repository of the officially-designated LGBT History Month, have helped establish the monthlong event as a national and international commemoration of the struggle and incremental attainment of LGBT civil rights with an educational focus. To this end, it produces documentary films, undertakes initiatives and presents annually the largest national and international LGBT civil rights summit, held in Philadelphia.

During each day of October’s LGBT History Month, a historic LGBT person (or Icon) is featured with a video, biography, bibliography, downloadable images and other educational resources provided without charge (available at lgbtHistoryMonth.com). In 2006, there were 31 Icons, while this year 217 Icons are posted, with resources archived on the site. The federal government recognized the event in 2010 in a formal ceremony presided over by Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and last year, U.S House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-California) issued a proclamation for LGBT History Month.

Broward School district Vice Chair Laurie Rich Levinson told the Florida Agenda that eight out of 10 LGBT students report being harassed, because of their sexual orientation.

“As elected officials, we have a responsibility to provide an environment that is safe for learning, regardless of a student’s race, color, sexual orientation, religion, or any other factor,” Rich Levinson told the Agenda.