Jack Petocz was suspended from Flagler Palm Coast High School after organizing a walk-out of more than 500 students to protest the "Don't Say Gay" bill on Thursday. The 17-year-old Florida student passed out pride flags and led chants of "Say gay!" through a black megaphone while school administrators told him and other students they needed to return to class. Less than one week later, Florida Republicans passed a bill intended to stifle the free speech of LGBTQ people on public school campuses and their allies.
Student protests have taken place across Florida in the last week in response to the controversial House Bill 1557 or The Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed by critics as the "Don't Say Gay," which would restrict "classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity" in Florida classrooms. The bill was passed in the Florida House last month in a 69-47 vote and was approved 22-17 by the GOP-led Florida Senate on Tuesday. The legislation will be effective July 1 as Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, is expected to sign the bill. He has openly defended the bill, saying in a press conference that it's about giving students "no sexual instruction." The Biden administration, on the other hand, has called the bill anti-LGBTQ.
