What Next - An Out Teen in the “Don’t Say Gay” State
What Next | Daily News and Analysis
Slate Podcasts
4.3 • 2.4K Ratings
🗓️ 7 September 2022
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today’s high schoolers have lived in an America with legally recognized gay marriage for nearly half of their lives, but this fall, Florida students are starting the first school year under the “Parental Rights in Education” law, a.k.a. “Don’t Say Gay,” and LGBTQ students are bracing for a very different classroom experience.
Guest: Will Larkins, a 17-year-old senior at Winter Park High School, Florida and cofounder of the school’s Queer Student Union.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | There's something so romantic about winter and I don't know whether that's just because |
| 0:05.4 | I'm a bit for homebody and I love a 5. |
| 0:08.0 | But I think it's just the holiday period, it's just for me, it's the most romantic period. |
| 0:14.2 | And I think anyone who's listened to my records will know that I'm quite a big fan of romance. |
| 0:18.8 | Joy in every sip with red cups now back at Starbucks. |
| 0:27.8 | When it heads up, there's a little strong language in this episode. |
| 0:36.6 | Will Larkins wasn't very excited to tell me about his first day of school. |
| 0:40.6 | Oh, first day of school. |
| 0:42.8 | It was, I mean it was school, I was back at school. |
| 0:46.8 | So instead, I asked him to tell me what he wore. |
| 0:52.4 | At this, he perked up immediately. |
| 0:54.8 | Okay, I wore the shirt that I'm wearing right now, which is a hot pink sparkly, like, long |
| 1:01.3 | sleeve shirt. |
| 1:02.3 | I wore these. |
| 1:03.3 | Will is 17, a senior at Winter Park High School, near Orlando. |
| 1:08.7 | Fashion is kind of his thing or one of them. |
| 1:11.3 | And then I wore a piece of necklace, pearls, and then the makeup and then pink glitter |
| 1:16.7 | on my cheeks. |
| 1:17.7 | Okay, you dress to impress. |
| 1:19.4 | I dress every day and it's not to impress anyone but myself. |
| 1:23.4 | It's funny that Will is more into his clothes than school because if you have heard of Will, |
| 1:29.6 | it's because of something he did in school last year. |
... |
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