In protest of the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill, a Florida high school student helped organise a walkout but was suspended indefinitely.
Flagler Palm Coast High School junior Jack Petocz wanted to protest the shitty measure, House Bill 1557 as it would stop schools from being allowed to teach kids about sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten to third grade.
Students had been given time to protest the Bill but after Petocz handed out 200 pride flags that he purchased with his own money, he was called into the principal’s office.
Petocz told the Daytona Beach News-Journal he was “told I was disrespectful and openly advocating against staff.”
“They suspended me from campus until further notice. I informed the principal I wasn’t going to speak with him and was going to talk to a lawyer,”
“He told me I wouldn’t be allowed to [distribute the flags]. He went further to question the intentions of our protest, asking if pride flags were relevant to opposition to the bill.”
We were absolutely spoilt here in Australia to be able to so freely celebrate our LGBTQIA+ community on the weekend but so many are still struggling for equal rights.
The world needs people like Jack Petocz and he’s proudly stated on Twitter that he would do it all again: “I may have been suspended, but I will not be silenced. I am proud of who I am, and I am #notafraidtosaygay”
