A Florida teen who made headlines this spring as the first openly gay president of his school and who is suing the DeSantis administration for its "don't say gay" law received some encouragement from a man in the Biden administration who is also known for his firsts.Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg sent a heartfelt thank you and message of inspiration to Zander Moricz, the Florida teen who went viral for his graduation speech in which he spoke of his curly hair instead of using the word gay, to highlight the ridiculousness of the state's anti-LGBTQ+ law."After Chasten and I saw your graduation speech earlier this year and heard about your appearance at the Department of Education, I wanted to be sure to personally thank you for your voice and advocacy.
Your combination of wit and courage has reverberated across the country in ways that will benefit people you'll never even meet," Buttigieg wrote.Buttigieg says that he's aware that his position as the first out gay cabinet secretary rests upon the work of those who came before him, "and there is no doubt that your example will open doors for many others who now look up to you, even as you are just starting your path forward following your graduation."Moricz tweeted a photo of the letter with the caption, "Thank you@PeteButtigieg.
The fight for Florida has only begun." In May, Moricz made headlines when the Pine View School senior was told he couldn't speak of his sexual orientation or that he was suing Florida Gov.
Ron DeSantis for the state's new infamous "don't say gay" law during his upcoming graduation speech.After his story went viral, Moricz did give his graduation speech, but in an attempt to simultaneously show the ridiculousness of the law and comply.