More than 500 students turned up at Winter Park High School in Orange County, Florida, on Monday in a mass protest to protest a "Don't Say Gay" bill currently being considered by the state Senate, according to walkout organizer and high school student Will. Participated in walkout. Larkins.
The Parental Rights in Education Bill, HB 1557, would effectively ban teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms for young students. LGBTQ advocates say the measure would further stigmatize gay, lesbian and transgender children, leading to more bullying and suicides within an already marginalized community.
The walkout was organized by juniors Will Larkins and Maddie Zornek. Several students left class at 9 a.m. ET to protest the bill. During the walkout, the students shouted "We say gay!" were shouting slogans. and wearing the "Protect Trans Children" sign.
The Winter Park High walkout was not the first act of protest among Florida students. Several high schools in Florida also staged walkouts on Thursday and Friday to protest HB 1557.
"We wanted to show our government that this is not going to stop. There were all the walkouts last week. It will continue. If it is passed, there will be protests everywhere," Larkins told CNN. "We wanted to get the attention of our representatives, our senators, because the point is to show them that we are in power. People are in power and what they are doing doesn't represent us, especially marginalized groups."
Larkins also testified against the bill in front of the Florida Senate Appropriations Committee last week.
The bill passed the Florida House of Representatives in February by a 69-47 vote. The Republican-controlled Senate moved the bill this week, setting the stage for a final vote as soon as Tuesday.
Amid debate on the Senate floor on Monday, Republican Sen. Dennis Baxley, the bill's sponsor, said his concern that children are "experimenting" with sexual orientation was part of his motivation for the legislation.
Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has indicated his support for the bill. If approved by the Florida Senate and signed by DeSantis, HB 1557 will take effect in July.