‘Don’t Say Gay’ Student Activist Joins Hagen Brody’s Campaign Team

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — A Sarasota County student and LGBTQ activist who’s made national headlines for his opposition to Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill will join the campaign team for Hagen Brody, who is running for the Sarasota County Commission’s District 2 seat.

The Democrat and current Sarasota city commissioner hired Zander Moricz, a recent Pine View School graduate, to manage and coordinate grassroot efforts throughout the district.

In a news release, Brody said he’s qualified to appear on the ballot, garnering more than the required number of signatures. If he wins the Democratic primary in August, he could face off against the Republican incumbent, Christian Ziegler, who was elected to the position in November 2018.

Moricz is the youngest plaintiff on a lawsuit filed against Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Department of Education and others over Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill, referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics.

Related Stories:

• FL Student Can't Say 'Gay' In Grad Speech, Discusses His Curls Instead
• Brody Will Run For Sarasota County Commission Seat: Report
• FL's 'Don't Say Gay' Lawsuit Has Ties To Sarasota County Student
• Principal Threatened To Cut Off Grad Speech, Sarasota Student Says

The new law limits how gender identity and sexual orientation are discussed in the state's public-school classrooms. Earlier this year, the bill was passed by both the state Senate and House, and then signed into law by DeSantis at the end of March.

Moricz has opposed the bill from the start, helping to organize and host a March rally against the then-proposed law in Sarasota with Project Pride SRQ and Equality Florida. He later organized a student walkout at Pine View over the "Don't Say Gay" legislation.

The openly gay student president — the first-ever at Pine View — recently had his graduation speech censored by his principal and school administrators, who told him they would cut the microphone during his time addressing his fellow graduates if he mentioned LGBTQ issues or his activism.

At Sunday’s graduation, he found a creative solution to this threat, using his curly hair as a metaphor for being gay throughout his speech.

Calling his curls "a very public part of my identity" in a video shared by WWSB, Moricz told those attending the ceremony at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, "I used to hate my curls. I spent mornings and nights embarrassed of them, trying desperately to straighten this part of who I am. But the daily damage of trying to fix myself became too much to endure."

Brody praised the student for his efforts to oppose what the candidate considers an “unconstitutional law.”

“Zander’s fearlessness in taking on Governor DeSantis and the Republican machine fits perfectly in line with our values and determination to push back against the divisive political rhetoric and targeted attacks on communities of interest,” he said.

Patch has reached out to Moricz for comments about joining Brody's team.