Manatee students walkout to protest new Florida rule banning LGBTQ content in schools
Students at Manatee School for the Arts gathered in their school courtyard on Friday to protest the expansion of the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law , which will now impact Florida students from grades K–12, not just elementary children.
After seeing a post on social media calling for Florida students to protest the expanded law, nearly 300 students walked out of class at noon and into the school’s courtyard in solidarity, chanting things like, “Bring back books.”
Earlier this week, the State Board of Education voted to limit instruction related to gender identity or sexual orientation in any school grade. The rule includes an exception in cases where the lessons are “expressly required” by the state’s academic standards or are part of a reproductive health course.
The Manatee County Commission also announced plans to place restrictions on sexual content in public libraries earlier this week. The board voted to expand an advisory board that will review books purchased by the library and plans to begin adding genre labels on books that could be deemed controversial, such as coming-of-age, young adult and LGBTQ books.
This is the second time students at the charter school in Palmetto have walked out of class in protest. Last year, a similar sight was seen on the school campus when the bill, which limited the discussion of sexuality and gender identity in public schools, was first signed into law.
“It was the same time as last year’s protest, and we met in the same place, but what has driven us to rally together and protest today is the expansion of the [rule] being extended to kindergarten through 12th grade,” said Caitlyn Traxler, a 12th-grade student at Manatee School for the Arts and vice president of the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance Club.
Local students protest Florida rule
In video footage of the protest, students are seen in the courtyard hoisting signs and lifting their voices in chants, saying, “What do we want? Gay rights. When do we want it? Now!”
Traxler said the majority of the students who walked out were in high school, with a few in middle school, and she feels LGBTQ+ youth are being “targeted,” and it’s happening at an age when they’re just discovering who they are.
The State Board of Education has already used last year’s version of the law to reverse certain school policies that affect LGBTQ+ students.
“Between 12 and 16 is when a lot of kids really find out their identities and start exploring,” Traxler said. “I feel like this is a [rule] that is going to prevent them from doing that.”
Traxler said she sees the rule change as a way to silence the LGBTQ+ community and stop people from expressing who they really are.
Critics fear impact on LGBTQ+ youth
“That’s going to cause kids who identify as LGBTQ+ to keep to themselves more, and that’s going to cause more self-harm than anything,” said Traxler.
In a press release Thursday, The Trevor Project, a nationwide suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ+ youth, condemned Florida’s policies.
“It is heartbreaking to see Florida officials advance this slate of anti-LGBTQ bills, especially when a majority of trans and nonbinary young Floridians have seriously considered suicide and 1 in 5 have made a suicide attempt in the last year,” Casey Pick, the organization’s director of law and policy, said in a statement provided to the Bradenton Herald. “We need to be urgently expanding access to affirming health care, safe schools, and support systems for this marginalized group of young people.
Administrators at the school were in support of the protest and notified teachers and faculty via email that students had planned to protest and asked them not to intervene. After 15 minutes, the protest ended, and the students returned to class.
Alexandro Jimenez-Morgado, a 12th-grader at Manatee School for the Arts who also participated in last year’s protest, said that as members of Generation Z, they believe in the right to free speech.
“I feel like citizens in the state should be able to express how they feel and not let officials limit us and our beliefs,” Jimenez-Morgado said. “It’s like religion, if we believe in something and you take it away from us, it’s wrong.”
Moreover, Jimenez believes statewide changes should have more input from residents.
“Well, all should be voting for this, not one,” Jimenez said. “Not one singular person or just a few lawmakers; we all should have to vote,” Jimenez said.
This story was originally published April 21, 2023 at 4:45 PM.
