Students across the state of Florida staged a mass walkout on March 3, 2022, in defiance of the Parental Rights in Education bill, which is commonly referred to as the "Don't Say Gay" bill. The bill is meant to ban discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in the state's schools.
The organizer of the protests, Jack Petocz, spoke to NBC about their effort.
Jack explained, "The language and the supporters of the bill and the rhetoric around the bill really shows what this bill is, and it's an attempt to hurt queer people like me."
Jack was subsequently suspended "indefinitely" for his role in the protests and rallies. He said, "I believe this attempt to threaten me and remove me from campus is riddled with homophobia and bigotry."
Jack also believes that the school used the event as an opportunity to remove him as part of a long-term plan. "And I think that they were just — they were upset that I was organizing this to begin with," he explained, "and they just used this as a crutch to go ahead and remove me from campus."
