Broward County Public Schools encourages students to participate in GLSEN’s “National Day of Silence” in support of LGBTQ activism

Broward County Public Schools promotes GLSEN’s “Day of Silence” online for students to participate. The day is scheduled to take place April 14, 2023. Despite openly promoting the day, the district explains that it “is a student-led action where concerned students, middle school and older, take some form of a vow of silence to bring attention to the name-calling, bullying and harassment—in effect, the silencing—experienced by LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) students and their allies.” The district continues to explain:

Today, the Day of Silence [is] one of the largest student-led actions in the United States. In 2001, GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) became the official organizational sponsor and has numerous resources available.

The district then states: “Join us during this year’s Day of Silence, April 14, 2023!”

The district’s school board also passed a resolution titled “Resolution in Support of National Day of Silence” for April 14. In this resolution, the school board explicitly states support for students participating in the event: “Whereas, there is no single way to participate, and students are encouraged to take part in the way that is most positive and uplifting to their school.” The school board continues to explain that it “appreciates and recognizes the importance of the National Day of Silence as an effective tool in the fight for equal protection of all Broward County students.”

The school board ends the resolution by explaining that it “hereby declares its support of” the “National Day of Silence.” The resolution is dated August 17, 2022.

The organization GLSEN is known for promoting LGBTQ issues to young children. GLSEN states on its website that “while many LGBTQ+-inclusive school supports begin in middle or high school, it is critical for elementary schools to establish a foundation of respect and understanding for all people.” The organization has also appeared to show support for children taking “hormone replacement therapy” to transition to another gender:

Upon birth, we are typically categorized into one of two genders (boy or girl) depending on how our genitals are read. Throughout our lives, however, our many bodily characteristics work together to create a unique path of development, causing some of us to grow really tall, and others to remain short, or some of us to grow hair under our armpits and legs, while others remain bare. While this development often happens on its own during puberty, this change can also be administered through medicine, such as hormone replacement therapy. Since our society often conflates our bodies (or genitalia) with our gender identity, it is critical that we allow space for people to self-identify.