New Orleans, LA – On Friday, March 31, close to 300 students at Benjamin Franklin High School walked out of school during last period. They demanded a stop to bills in the Louisiana legislature that target LGBTQ kids. Students gathered on the school’s front lawn to hear speeches by their trans classmates. The event coincided with national Trans Day of Visibility.
Seattle, WA – On November 18, the University of Washington’s Progressive Student Union (PSU) held a banner drop in protest of the national “Don’t Say Gay” bill, introduced by Congressional Republicans last month. Officially titled the “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act of 2022,” this is a national version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis earlier this year. The D.C. bill prohibits the use of federal funds for any topic or program related to sex education in schools. It also prohibits access of library books with LGBTQ topics to children.
Austin, TX – On Tuesday evening, November 1, a small group of students from the Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) chapter gathered in front of the Perry Castañeda Library at University of Texas at Austin campus to protest against the national “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Tampa, FL – On November 15, 20 students, led by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, gathered in front of the University of South Florida Library in a show of protest against HR 9197, the national Stop the Sexualization of Children Act, more commonly known as the “Don't Say Gay” bill.
Baton Rouge, LA – On May 3, the Louisiana House of Representatives Education Committee struck down this state’s version of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by a seven to four vote. This decision came after a mass upsurge of students, parents, teachers, social workers and LGBTQ+ community members demanding to shut the bill down.