By Sanjana Jain, Staff Writer
On Friday March 11, a few River Hill students organized a peaceful walkout against the new “Don’t Say Gay” Bill that was recently passed by Florida’s Republican-led lesgislation. Introduced by Republican state representative Joe Harding, the bill is titled Parental Rights in Education, bill number HB 1557. The bill prohibits classroom discussion regarding gender identity and sexual orientation in kindegarten through grade 3. It states that Florida schools have the authority to inform parents about “specified information” or new developments regarding their child in terms of sexual orientation and/or gender identity. It also gives parents the right to “bring action against the school district” if the school doesn’t abide by this law.
During the walkout, Principal Lidgard stated, “We always support students’ rights and are so proud of our students for speaking up when they see something or hear something that doesn’t sit right with them. We as an administrative team and the staff of our school are firm, firm believers in the power of students to make change.”
The Gender and Sexuality Alliance Club (GSA) at River Hill was responsible for organizing the walkout; senior Jude Barnhart was the sole architect. Like a probable large number of students, they found out about the bill through social media and the news.
“My initial reaction I guess was disbelief, turning into not really surprised considering the current state of [Florida’s] House and Senate. It was more of a disappointment,” Jude stated. They felt it was their responsibility as GSA’s club president to organize a movement of support for all the queer students at River Hill, they being queer themselves.
Jude commended the club’s sponsor, Mr. MCready, for his involvement and support. “He is a huge ally. The day before [the walkout] it was me, Mr. McCready, Mrs. Lidgard and other members of GSA. He was a massive help in planning all this,” they said. “He was at the walkout and was actually wearing an LGBTQ shirt,” they added.
A student who assisted Jude with the walkout was senior Iris Zhan. Jude said that they “relied on Iris to help me since they have more experience with these sorts of things.” Like Jude, Iris was first made aware of the bill a few weeks ago and through social media. “The bill is ridiculous, and also how people don’t want to acknowledge the existence of queerness and how horribly wrong that is,” they said.
“This is like a backwards move in time honestly. The rest of society is here, and this ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill is pushing [the LGBTQ communtiy] back and also other anti-LGBTQ legislation. We are making progress towards inclusion, but we are also being pushed back, and that’s also a reminder of why we need to be pushing. There is still so much discrimination and hatred and opression,” Iris said when recalling their initial recation to the bill.
Since last week, protests, walkouts, and information-sharing have occurred throughout Howard County, as well as nationwide, in opposition to the bill. “I saw a bunch of other schools posting about it; I talked to a friend at Oakland Mills who was posting about it and I was like ‘Yo this is important so it’s great to see people in our local area actually caring about this,’” Iris said.
A protest that gained national attention was one organized by Florida’s Flagler Palm High School student, Jack Petocz. Unlike River Hill, where the administration was supportive of the student body’s decision on the walkout, Jack was pulled aside by his school’s administration just before the beginning of the protest where they expressed their discomfort and opposition against students waving pride flags. For continuing with the walkout, Jack was suspended. “Queer people aren’t inherently not age-appropriate,” Petocz told ABC News Live on a March 7 interview. “Our existence fosters a more inclusive environment.” He has requested to meet with Governor DeSantis to explain how this bill affects his community.
Not only are students actively discussing this bill, but news channels, TV show hosts, CEOs, even the White House, are all taking a stance and forming an opinion. American conservative Laura Ingraham, the host of the Ingraham Angle from Fox News expressed, “This is the most ridiculous distortion of what a piece of legislation is and what it would do.” While on the show, republican member of the Florida House of Representatives, Jeanette Nuñez, expressed her agreement with Ingraham, stating that, “[Florida] puts parents and their rights first…and it’s about making sure that children aren’t indoctrinated.”
Upon hearing about the bill, President Biden tweeted, “I want every member of the LGBTQI+ community — especially the kids who will be impacted by this hateful bill — to know that you are loved and accepted just as you are. I have your back, and my Administration will continue to fight for the protections and safety you deserve.”
The bill was passed on Tuesday March 8, but is awaiting Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis’ signature, for it to officially become a law.