Zander Moricz (R) celebrates Pride Month 2022 in Sarasota. (Photo from Zander Moricz)
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg penned a letter of encouragement to a Florida high school student who made headlines over his efforts to fight the state’s controversial Parental Rights in Education Act, better known as the “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law.
Zander Moricz, 18, shared a photo of the letter Aug. 22, tweeting his gratitude for Buttigieg’s support and pledging that, “The fight for Florida has only begun.”
“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,” wrote the former South Bend, Indiana mayor, who made history when the Senate confirmed his nomination to become the first openly gay cabinet secretary.
“Your combination of wit and courage has reverberated across the country in ways that will benefit people you’ll never even meet.”
Thank you @PeteButtigieg 💜. The fight for Florida has only begun. pic.twitter.com/95LD7VelSa
— zander moricz (@zandermoricz) August 22, 2022
This spring, when Moricz was instructed that Florida’s passage of the “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill effectively forbade him from mentioning his sexuality in a graduation speech, he found a clever workaround by using his “curly hair” as a stand-in to talk about his experiences as an openly gay teen.
florida high school class president zander moricz was told by his school that they would cut his microphone if he said “gay” in his grad speech, so he replaced gay with “having curly hair.” i am in awe pic.twitter.com/OqLbar5bwq
— matt (@mattxiv) May 24, 2022
After the stunt garnered significant attention from news organizations and traction on social media, Moricz was invited to Washington, D.C. by Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to deliver his speech in its original form.
Committed to ensuring that others are free to exercise their right to say “gay” and “trans” without first receiving an invitation to address a federal government agency, Moricz joined a lawsuit as one of its youngest plaintiffs challenging the Florida law, which has been targeted by a coalition of legal and LGBTQ advocacy organizations, high-powered law firms and 16 state attorneys general.
