Zander Moricz, a graduating Florida high school senior and an LGBTQ activist, was instructed by his school administrators to avoid any mention of his activism or his lawsuit against Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the “Don’t Say Gay” law banning educators from discussing anything relating to sexuality or gender issues with students.

I am the youngest public plaintiff in the “Don’t Say Gay” lawsuit. I am my Florida high school’s first openly-gay Class President. I am being silenced, and I need your help. A few days ago, my principal called me into his office and informed me that if my graduation speech referenced my activism or role as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, school administration had a signal to cut off my microphone, end my speech, and halt the ceremony.

I am the first openly-gay Class President in my school’s history–this censorship seems to show that they want me to be the last. This threat is not the first that I have received from administration about my queer rights.  When administration discovered that I was organizing a Say Gay walkout, they had all our posters ripped from the walls and told me to shut down the protest.

 

They said they would send school security if I did not listen.  I held the walkout anyways, and it became our county’s largest protest. I won’t give into threats and I won’t be silenced. I have a plan to fight back again, and this time, I need your help.”

[The remainder deals with getting material to support the “Say Gay” action during graduations.]