Florida stunts stage school walkouts over 'Don't Say Gay' bill

don't say gay rally

Protters gathered at the Florida State Capol Tallahassee on March 7 to rally agast the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that prohibs LGBTQ-related topics krgarten to third gra bill, formally known as the Parental Rights Edutn bill or HB 1557, was passed by the Florida Hoe of Reprentativ on Febary bill was due to be bated at the Florida Senate on vio, taken by Kev Cho Tipton, shows protters, activists, and Florida reprentativ chantg outsi the pol. It also shows protters gathered si the pol buildg. Cred: Kev Cho Tipton via Storyful

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WHAT A NATNAL 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL WOULD MEAN FOR TN

The Stop the Sexualizatn of Children Act, dubbed a "Don't Say Gay" bill by crics, would affect anizatns that receive feral fundg. * don't say gay rally *

Parents would be allowed to file a lawsu agast any public or private enty that feral funds to display or facilate ntent featurg LGBTQ an agency or anizatn vlat the rtrictns more than once a five-year perd, uld lose accs to feral funds for three years, acrdg to the bill specifilly mentns drag shows, which have been the recent target of cricism by nservative groups advotg for laws such as this prott ont of Florida State Senator Ileana Garcia's office after the passage of the Parental Rights Edutn bill, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by LGBTQ activists Miami, March 09, Raedle/Getty Imag, FILEProposed bill prompts cricismThe bill sparked immediate backlash om some LGBTQ people and activists across the untry, who say this legislatn misreprents the inti as herently sexual, shameful or assert that this kd of legislatn will silence and harm LGBTQ teachers and stunts, while stigmatizg the muny and threateng ferally fund programs on cln. "A feral 'Don't Say Gay or Trans' bill – moled after the ntroversial discrimatory law Florida and aimg to drive LGBTQ+ fai and teachers out of the tn system – is their latt cel attempt to stigmatize and margalize the muny, not an attempt to solve actual problems but only to rile up their extremist base, " said David Stacy, the ernment affairs director of LGBTQ advocy group Human Rights Campaign.

FLORIDA STUNTS STAGE SCHOOL WALKOUTS OVER 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL

Stunts across the state of Florida staged school walkouts rponse to the "Don't Say Gay" bill. * don't say gay rally *

Supporters rally to ph back agast the so-lled "Don't Say Gay" at the Pri Center Wilton Manors, Fla., Feb. Several stat have followed Florida's lead, cludg Alabama, which has implemented so-lled "Don't Say Gay" polici of s own. Stunts across Florida staged school walkouts rponse to legislatn — dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill — that would prohib discsg sexual orientatn and genr inty the state’s primary schools.

FLORIDA’S LGBTQ ADVOT ARE RALLYG TO SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE LIGHT OF ‘DON’T SAY GAY’

Stunts wavg rabow picket signs and shoutg “We say gay!

PROTTS NTUE AGAST FLORIDA 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL

"I believe this attempt to threaten me and remove me om mp is riddled wh homophobia and bigotry, " said Petocz, who is gay. "You’re silencg a queer stunt standg up for what he believ , his rights, and you’re disciplg him for challengg you on the allowance of pri flags a gay rally? Hillsborough High School stunts prott the "Don't Say Gay" bill Thursday Tampa, Fla.

WHAT DO ‘DON’T SAY GAY’ ACTUALLY SAY?

The measure’s opponents ntend that the bill would be trimental to the mental health of the state’s LGBTQ children and teachers, preventg them om openly talkg about themselv and their Joe Hardg, the Republin who troduced the bill January, has repeatedly said the bill would not prohib stunts om talkg about their LGBTQ fai or bar classroom discsns about LGBTQ history, cludg events like the 2016 attack on the Pulse nightclub, a gay club Orlando. "So I feel like should be tght schools bee will help other people jt like me know that 's OK to be gay.

Petersburg, Gibbs High School, is draped wh rabow flags, Gay Straight Alliance club posters "everywhere" and other LGBTQ-affirmg symbols. This weekend, Javi Gomez is travelg nearly 500 om his native Miami to Florida’s pal Tallahassee to plead his se agast a piece of legislatn LGBTQ advot are llg the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

FLORIDA STUNT WHO ORGANIZED 'DON'T SAY GAY' PROTT IS SPEND

Some exposure to LGBTQ topics – what means to be gay, queer or transgenr, and why ’s wrong to discrimate agast LGBTQ people – might have helped alleviate the pa they flicted, he said.

Many advot have lled Florida home for s: Galv, a cy uncil member North Miami, remembers beg the only gay kid his Miami high school senr class.

Schools are already often hostile environments for LGBTQ kids – nearly 33% of LGBTQ stunts ag 13 to 21 said they missed a day of school over the urse of a month bee they felt unsafe or unfortable, and more than 77% said they avoid school functns bee they felt unsafe or unfortable, acrdg to the most recent Natnal School Climate Survey published by the GLSEN (the Gay, Lbian and Straight Edutn Network) 2019. 8% of LGBTQ stunts said they heard “gay” ed a negative way, and more than 95% of them heard homophobic slurs while at school.

PROTTERS RALLY AGAST 'DON'T SAY GAY' BILL AT FLORIDA STATE CAPOL

Miami high school stunt Gomez said wasn’t until he found out one of his teachers was gay that he started to experience somethg that felt like nfince.

STUNTS RALLY MIAMI AHEAD OF ‘DON'T SAY GAY' BILL VOTE

They’ve served learship rol wh those muni for years – Orlando has had Commissner Patty Sheehan, the first out gay elected official central Florida, acrdg to the cy, sce 2000, and Galv has served on North Miami’s cy uncil for almost as long. He’s the print of his high school Gay Straight Alliance, or GSA, and leads after-school urs on queer history and ballroom culture, semars wh doctors on safe sex, and viewg parti for “Pose” and “Legendary, ” seri that star queer and trans people of lor.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* DON'T SAY GAY RALLY

Florida Stunt Who Organized 'Don't Say Gay' Prott Is Spend .

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