Florida students staged school walkouts to protest legislation, dubbed "Don't Say Gay", that would have prohibited discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in primary schools.
Officially titled the Parents Education Rights Bill, the measure's supporters claim it will give parents more control over what their children learn in school. They also argue that LGBTQ issues are not appropriate for this age group.
Students wave rainbow picket signs waving and shouting "We Say Gay!" at walkouts in the state, including in Tampa, Orlando and Tallahassee. They rejected the assertions.
Flagler Palm Coast High school senior Jack Petocz organized the protests across the state via social media. He also led the protest at his school in Palm Coast.
Petocz claimed that he was summoned to his principal's office after the rally and placed on "indefinite" suspension. Petocz claimed he was sent to jail for selling 200 pride flags at the rally, despite being advised by his principal not to.
Petocz, a gay man, stated that he believes the attempt to threaten and expel me from campus was rife with homophobias and bigotry. You're punishing a student who is queer for standing up for his rights and defending them. It's ridiculous. It is.
He said, "And I think they were just upset that I was organizing it to begin with, so they just used that as a crutch and went ahead and removed me from campus."
Flagler Palm Coast High School didn't immediately respond to our request for comment.
Protests have been triggered by weeks of national outrage about the measure. The matter has attracted the attention of international newspapers, Hollywood actors, and the White House. Opponents claim that the measure would cause harm to the mental health and well-being of state's LGBTQ children and teachers. This would prevent them from freely sharing their personal and family lives.
Rep. Joe Harding (Republican who introduced the bill in January) has stated repeatedly that the bill will not prevent students from discussing their LGBTQ families or prohibit classroom discussions about LGBTQ history. This includes events such as the attack on Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016.
Harding, however, stated that the bill would not allow the "instruction” of LGBTQ topics without giving examples.
Sky Smith, a nonbinary lesbian who was at a Bayside High School student walkout in Palm Bay, stated that this is exactly what schools should do.
Smith stated that when I was younger I didn't see any representation of the LGBTQ community in school. He also said that he only learned about it after he went online. "So, I believe it should be taught at schools because it will allow other people to know that it is OK to be gay.
Smith said that children may view it as something forbidden, not allowed, or disregarded if it is not discussed.
Some people have claimed that the text of the bill makes it difficult to determine which age groups it could be applied to. According to the bill, discussions on "sexual orientation and gender identity" are not allowed in kindergarten through third grade. They also state that such discussions should not be held in a way that isn't appropriate for their development or age.
Eliza River Stone, who identified as LGBTQ, attended one of these protests. She said Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg is covered with rainbow flags and Gay Straight Alliance posters "everywhere," and other LGBTQ-affirming symbols.
"My school is so supportive. Stone stated that she has never felt more at home at school than at any school where I have been, and that it is impossible to imagine the school's LGBTQ-affirming symbols being revoked.
"LGBTQ people, like human beings, are just as human." She said that they shouldn't be isolated from anyone to learn about them.
The legislation was passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee Monday, after it passed last week in the state House. The legislation will now be put to a full Senate floor vote, where it is expected to also pass.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is a Republican running for reelection. He is widely thought to be a potential 2024 presidential contender.
Bryan Griffin, DeSantis’ deputy press secretary, stated in an email that: "All Floridians have the freedom to exercise their First Amendment Rights and peacefully voice their opinions on any issue. This bill is specifically about parents. Governor DeSantis supports parents’ rights. Parents need to know what their children are learning and if their children are getting the services they need at school.
Petocz stated that he will continue to advocate against the bill, even though he is out of school for suspension.
He stated, "Regardless of whether it passes or not, this message is the same and the precedent remain the same: Students are opposed to this bill in numbers never seen before."
