Florida students walked off campus Thursday in response to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent policies targeting LGBTQ students and people of color.
The hour-long walkout, organized by Florida College Democrats and the activist group Dream Defenders, involved students from across the state, including Florida State University, which is located right next to the governor’s residence and the Republican office at the Capitol. from Tallahassee.
“He says we’re indoctrinated by the revival, but we say he’s using us in his narrative and destroying our schools to fulfill his vision,” DeSantis said in a walkout pledge, referring to a series of controversial new directives that -has done in recent months. .
“By manipulating Florida’s education system, DeSantis is indoctrinating the very young he claims to protect,” the pledge continued. “It distorts our efforts to lift up those who have been oppressed into sinister attempts to push others down.”
Among his administration’s most controversial actions was requiring Florida universities to hand over information about “gender dysphoric individuals” receiving treatment at campus clinics.
It’s unclear what DeSantis plans to do with that information, which includes the number of people who have received treatment who support the type and nature of their treatments. But she has already overseen several efforts to limit transgender access to health care in Florida, such as barring children from receiving such treatments and banning Medicaid from being used for gender-affirming care.
DeSantis, who is expected to soon announce a run for the 2024 presidential nomination, also last month unveiled a plan to cut the budget for the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, saying it “aligns the core curriculum with the values freedom. and the Western tradition. ” and “eliminate politicized bureaucracies like DEI”.
It is not yet clear how many students participated in the action, but The Gainesville Sun estimated that about 100 people joined the protest at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Videos from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville showed the protesters singing“Racist, Sexist, Anti-Gay, Ron DeSantis Goes”.
Some Florida Democrats — namely U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost and state Reps. Michele Rayner, Anna Eskamani and Angie Nixon — have signed the pledge against DeSantis’ actions, according to the organizations behind the recall.
“Ron DeSantis has been relentless in his attacks on Florida’s education system, creating hostile classroom environments that target black, brown, Hispanic, and LGBTQ+ students simply for existing,” Frost told Teen Vogue on Thursday.
DeSantis’ office did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s requests for comment on the withdrawals.
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