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‘Say gay! Say gay!’ HS students throughout Florida walk out in protest of bill supporting parental rights

March 4, 2022 | | Print Article

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Students at dozens of Florida high schools reportedly staged a walkout Thursday to protest an anti-indoctrination, pro-parent bill that’s made its through the GOP-led state legislature.

The bill would prevent Florida schoolteachers from indoctrinating students with radical LGBT ideology by requiring teachers to first obtain permission from students’ parents before speaking with them about any LGBT-related matters.

The bill is necessary, Republicans have argued, because LGBT indoctrination has repeatedly been documented throughout the country.

In California, an Asian child who’s 12 was encouraged by her teacher to pick a new gender without first speaking with her parents. The child eventually wound up suicidal:

Also in California, the state’s top teachers’ union was caught secretly spying on students and recruiting them into LGBT clubs.

The establishment press has denied all this evidence and instead concocted a counter-narrative about how attempts to rein in this indoctrination are really attempts to drive openly gay students back into the closet.

And apparently, the students at dozens of Florida high schools have latched onto this counter-narrative, regardless of its veracity (or the lack thereof).

According to The Daytona Beach News-Journal, “more than 20” walkouts occurred throughout the state Thursday, all of them organized by Jack Petocz, a student at Flagler Palm Coast High School.

FPCHS’ walkout was particularly large. More than 500 students chanted “say gay” while reportedly waving LGBT flags.

The News-Journal notes that district officials had the courtesy to allow the kids to protest for 15 minutes. There was only one rule: No political/ideological flags. But Petocz, the walkout’s organizer, refused to comply, telling school principal Greg Schwartz that the flags should be allowed because “our identities are valid.”

“Schwartz was ‘very disagreeable’ about that, saying it was ‘throwing a wrench’ into the agreed-upon plans. Schwartz absented himself to call the superintendent and returned 30 minutes later: no flags allowed. Petocz decided not to listen to him, ‘because he was saying some things that were irrational in my mind,'” Flagler Live reported, quoting directly from Petocz.

His refusal to abide by the rules led to his suspension, which in turn prompted him into releasing a statement portraying himself as a victim. The statement subsequently went viral on Twitter and triggered the hashtag #StandWithJack:

In a statement to Flagler Live, local school board attorney Kristry Gavin noted that the rules are the rules.

“I’m sorry he believes it’s irrational, that he should be permitted to have the gay pride flag, the rainbow flag or whatever, but when it carries a connotation of a political statement, it’s no longer [permissible],” she said.

The prohibition also reportedly applies to the Confederate Flag and the Gadsden Flag.

Petocz has also claimed that school officials had tried to cut the protest short, but district spokesperson Jason Wheeler has challenged this narrative.

“I was there and the students were out of class for at least 20 minutes. Student leaders were told no flags prior to and at the beginning of the event so as to avoid undue safety concerns and campus disruptions,” he told the News-Journal.

“School administration spoke with the event organizer numerous times about the expectations and parameters so that students could take part in a peaceful, safe protest.”

Petocz reportedly has no regrets over his behavior.

“I’ve never been disciplined before and will continue to advocate on behalf of marginalized communities, he told the News-Journal.

It’s not clear how people like him are marginalized. Some would even argue that parents are the ones who’re truly being marginalized.

As for the LGBT community, the Biden administration literally flies their flag at its embassies abroad …

Vivek Saxena
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