Digital subscriptions provided by the City of Gulfport THE GABBER.COM No. 2752
March 17, 2022 - March 23, 2022
St. Pete Says Gay By Gabby Reeder
GABBY REEDER
Pinellas teachers, leaders, members, and students band together to rally against the ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’ on Mar. 12 in front of St. Petersburg City Hall.
The biting wind and abrasive cold didn’t stop opponents of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill from protesting outside St. Petersburg City Hall on Mar. 12. Ultimately, that was the point. Allies, activists, and members of the LGBTQ+ community gathered to oppose the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which revokes schools’ permission and ability to teach LGBTQ+ history, speak about LGBTQ+ people, and
prohibit discussion with students about sexual orientation, gender identity, and any other topic under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. To welcome participants to the rally, the hosts sang an original song dedicated to Ron DeSantis: “We say gay, free to be gay, we say gay all day,” the tune jingled. Since the protest focused on safety and education of youth, the hosts
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invited Samuel Vanmiddlesworth, a Pinellas County student, to speak. Vanmiddlesworth emerged from the crowd wrapped in a pride flag, wearing a black beanie with a rainbow decal. Vanmiddlesworth introduced himself to the crowd and said he uses he/they pronouns. “When I was in 6th grade science class I was able to freely talk about Don’t Say Gay continued on page 6