Florida Grad Says Gay Without Using the Word in Brilliant Speech
warned him against discussing his gay identity and LGBTQ+ activism while speaking against graduation in light of Florida’s recently adopted “don’t say gay” law, which restricts school-sponsored mention of sexual orientation and gender identity.
The administration had threatened to cut him off if he did so.However, in the Sunday night speech, Moricz, a plaintiff in a suit challenging the law.
managed to get his points about being gay across without saying the word.“I must discuss a very public part of my identity. This characteristic has probably become the first thing you think of when you think of me as a human being,” he said.“As you know, I have curly hair,” he continued while taking off his graduation cap.He went on to discuss the challenges faced by curly-haired people. “While having curly hair in Florida is difficult — due to the humidity — I decided to be proud of who I was and started coming to school as my authentic self,” after unsuccessful attempts at straightening, he said.
And he found support from teachers who discussed the topic and discovered others with curly hair.“It’s because of the love I’d drawn from this community that I came out to my family,” he said. “Now I’m happy.
