The following comes from an October 3 news release from Pacific Justice Institute:

October is LGBT History Month, and the Pacific Justice Institute is betting most parents have no idea it will be used to introduce drag queens, erotic dancers, Democratic Party operatives, and foreign politicians as role models to students.

LGBT History Month features 31 individuals each year—one each day of the month—who are presented as icons of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender history.  Over the past several years, PJI has noted the dubious historical claims and distinctions held by many of these “icons.” One year, it was claimed “America the Beautiful” was written by a lesbian, even though she never identified as such during her lifetime.  Later, a transgender activist who had recently been released from prison after killing another person with a pair of scissors was upheld as a role model.

This year’s list of icons presents the usual spectrum of exotic dancers, political operatives, obscure athletes, and entertainers—with a few surprises.

Parents might be surprised to learn, for instance, that it is now being claimed America once had a gay President.  While historians would no doubt question the claim, students will be told that Abraham Lincoln’s predecessor, James Buchanan, is an icon of LGBT history because he never married and seemed unusually close to his vice president.  It is less clear whether students will be told that Buchanan’s inaction in the days leading up to the Civil War is generally considered to be less than heroic.

More currently, students will be pointed to prominent world leaders like the prime minister of Luxembourg.

A number of political operatives from the U.S. will also be presented as icons this year—almost exclusively from the Democratic Party.

In the beginning of LGBT History Month, students will be introduced to Josephine Baker, who gained renown for her erotic nude dances in Paris in the early 20th Century.  Later in the month, reverence will be shown for Lili Elbe, an early casualty of sex reassignment surgery.

It is not yet clear how many schools across the U.S. will be observing LGBT History Month this year.  In years past, large districts from Los Angeles Unified to the school systems in Philadelphia, Charlotte, and South Florida have joined in.  In many other schools, individual teachers and LGBT student clubs have promoted LGBT History Month on their own.