Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Senior Class President Zander Moricz was ready to give his commencement speech at the graduation ceremony of Pine View School in Osprey, Florida, but was forced to change his plans.

Turns out, the principal called Moricz into his office and warned him that the school would not tolerate if his graduation speech referenced his activism or role as a plaintiff in his lawsuit. In fact, the principal went as far as to threaten the student that the school administration would cut off his microphone, end his speech and halt the ceremony.

Moricz tweeted the incident on his account, stating “I am being silenced, and I need your help,” where he received huge support and more than 153k likes. The 18-year-old said the decision to censor his speech was “dehumanizing,” but he didn’t want to risk ruining the ceremony for his fellow students.

So he did what he was told to– never mentioned the word “gay,” but made his point right in their face anyway. Can we give this smart man a well-deserved minute of standing ovations, everyone?!

The senior class president and openly gay Zender Moricz has recently shared how his high school principal threatened to cut off his microphone if he talked about his activism and used the word “gay”

Image credits: zandermoricz

Zander Moricz, a senior and the president of his graduating class at Pine View School in Osprey, Florida, tweeted that he was being “silenced” in a thread two weeks ago. He wrote: “My principal called me into his office and informed me that if my graduation speech referenced my activism or role as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, school administration had a signal to cut off my microphone, end my speech, and halt the ceremony.”

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: zandermoricz

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: zandermoricz

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: zandermoricz

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: zandermoricz

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: zandermoricz

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: zandermoricz

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: zandermoricz

The 18-year-old teen is also one of the youngest plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against the state of Florida over the “Parental Rights in Education” law. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit claim that the law harms LGBTQ students and families and violates their First Amendment right to freedom of speech, as well as their constitutional right to equal protection under the law.

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: zandermoricz

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: zandermoricz

The Parental Rights in Education bill was signed March 28 by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). The law prevents teachers in kindergarten through third grade from discussing gender and sexual orientation in class and restricts what teachers can say in upper grades to what is developmentally appropriate, without saying what that is. The law goes into effect July 1.

A lawsuit has been filed against Gov. DeSantis by several LGBTQ rights advocates in an effort to block the law. “This effort to control young minds through state censorship — and to demean LGBTQ lives by denying their reality — is a grave abuse of power,” is what the lawsuit alleges.

Moricz was not allowed to talk about his activism but he came up with a brilliant way to shred “Don’t Say Gay” law in this censored graduation speech

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: Liz Ballard

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: Liz Ballard

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: Liz Ballard

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: Liz Ballard

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: Liz Ballard

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: Liz Ballard

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: Liz Ballard

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: Liz Ballard

Moricz expressed his worry ahead of the speech but told Good Morning America on Monday that he felt the support from his fellow classmates and peers. Some of them wore “Say Gay” stickers and stood up and cheered during his speech Sunday.

He said: “There was a lot of hate and a lot of fear surrounding the speech about what people were going to do if someone was going to react poorly because it was really present in the community – that hatred and that fear – and so I was worried and I knew that there was a potential to cut the mic.”

Here is the recording of Moricz’s now-viral speech that outsmarted the ban from the school administration

Image credits: Liz Ballard

Many people praised Moricz for his witty speech and activism

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: innominate67

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: TennS4Ever

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: AmyT42107

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: ScottsSister

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: BRIANBOY12

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: Mully1897

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: amylee62

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: RQsBoss

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: VestaBoxer

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: KarenHoward42

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: adamwfitzgerald

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: HardyLettuce

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: SalimSivaad

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: horatiorama

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Image credits: milenaac

Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

Read less »

I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

Read less »

What do you think ?

POST

Nathaniel 2 years ago

Remind me again which country proclaims itself to be the land of the free? Where the countrymen and women will brag about how they have real freedom? Not like the freedoms other countries enjoy.

54points

Catherine Binder 2 years ago

Just a friendly reminder that China's 3 no laws allow for more freedom of speech than Florida's don't say gay law. Your move patriots.

16points

Load More Replies...

Tamra Stiffler 2 years ago

Just got news last night of yet ANOTHER mass shooting. In a school. Nineteen children, ages 9-10 were killed. Nineteen!! What's more shocking? This only ranks as the third largest mass shooting in a school. I have literally been sick to my stomach all day. This country is so lost. There is nothing to brag about here, nothing to be proud of.

4points

LittleLiz 2 years ago

We don't all buy into that nonsense. Especially the younger generations. There are many places less free than the USA, but that doesn't mean we're doing well... We're free to own and carry a gun (as long as the police don't see it, because they'll shoot if they see us exercising that "right"), but mostly we're just free to eat the only food we can afford (mostly garbage) and then die from insulin rationing.

1point

Random Anon 2 years ago (edited)

Good for him standing up for what's right. Also if Roe vs. Wade gets overturned, then the US is truly moving backwards. No government should have the right to tell a person what to do with their bodies barring public health hazards. A woman choosing to abort isn't a public health hazard.

33points

Just a bored scp 7 months ago

I’m from the fuuuutre lol. Bad news: Roe v Wade turned to the states, and lawsuits to not serve queer customers were fought- and won by the wrong side. Conservative justices are the majority. Everywhere I go, I see political signs(I’m Texan): “____: Republican” or “_____: conservative leadership.” I’m legit going to move when I’m able.

0points

Load More Replies...

stacyh 2 years ago

Republicans whine, cry, and scream constantly about “free speech” when it comes to private platforms like Twitter not giving them a voice for their hatred, but when the actual suppression of free speech comes about by the actual government, they cheer and praise the idiot who is actively taking their rights away. Don’t ever let anyone try to fool you into believing republicans are the party of freedom in this country. They actually hate real freedom.

24points

Load More Comments

POST

Nathaniel 2 years ago

Remind me again which country proclaims itself to be the land of the free? Where the countrymen and women will brag about how they have real freedom? Not like the freedoms other countries enjoy.

54points

Catherine Binder 2 years ago

Just a friendly reminder that China's 3 no laws allow for more freedom of speech than Florida's don't say gay law. Your move patriots.

16points

Load More Replies...

Tamra Stiffler 2 years ago

4points

LittleLiz 2 years ago

1point

Random Anon 2 years ago (edited)

33points

Just a bored scp 7 months ago

0points

Load More Replies...

stacyh 2 years ago

24points

Load More Comments

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

The senior class president and openly gay Zender Moricz has recently shared how his high school principal threatened to cut off his microphone if he talked about his activism and used the word “gay”

Moricz was not allowed to talk about his activism but he came up with a brilliant way to shred “Don’t Say Gay” law in this censored graduation speech

Here is the recording of Moricz’s now-viral speech that outsmarted the ban from the school administration

Many people praised Moricz for his witty speech and activism

Liucija Adomaite

Liucija Adomaite

Mindaugas Balčiauskas

Mindaugas Balčiauskas

Gay Florida Student Brilliantly Outsmarts School Administration Who Censored His Grad Speech

Share iconThe senior class president and openly gay Zender Moricz has recently shared how his high school principal threatened to cut off his microphone if he talked about his activism and used the word “gay”

Moricz was not allowed to talk about his activism but he came up with a brilliant way to shred “Don’t Say Gay” law in this censored graduation speech

Here is the recording of Moricz’s now-viral speech that outsmarted the ban from the school administration

Many people praised Moricz for his witty speech and activism

Liucija Adomaite

Liucija Adomaite

Mindaugas Balčiauskas

Mindaugas Balčiauskas

The senior class president and openly gay Zender Moricz has recently shared how his high school principal threatened to cut off his microphone if he talked about his activism and used the word “gay”