Dozens of people converged on the Duval County Courthouse this afternoon to oppose a bill that would prohibit discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.
It was part of multiple “Don’t Say Gay” protests -- many of which were led by high school students -- that happened across Florida this week.
There were a lot of students at Saturday’s protest in Jacksonville as well. They chanted, “We say gay!” in front of the courthouse, and many of them expressed how harmful they think this bill could be if it’s passed. Part of House Bill 1557 would not allow school districts to encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels.Protesters say this isolates and stigmatizes the existence of people in the LGBTQIA community.One student who organized a walkout at their school this week said teachers outing students is dangerous and takes away what could be a safe space for kids.
“When I was in school and when I was in the closet, school was my escape from my family,” Kate Scarbrough said. “School was where I could be myself without living in fear of being found out and shunned by the people I care about. This bill seeks to take that away from kids.”Copyright 2022 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.
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