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Coco Gauff speaks out against 'Don't Say Gay' bill

Liz Roscher
·Staff writer
·2-min read

Florida native Coco Gauff spoke to the media about her home state's "Don't Say Gay" bill Wednesday, coming out strongly against the legislation.

Gauff, who is in California preparing for her first match at Indian Wells on Friday, spoke about the Florida bill, which bans classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity for kids in kindergarten through third grade. It's officially called the"Parental Rights in Education Bill." Critics and opponents of the legislation dubbed it the "Don't Say Gay Bill."

"I'm against it," Gauff said via Ben Rothenberg. "I think that these conversations are important, and for me, who has friends in the LGBTQ+ community, I couldn't imagine not being able to talk about your identity. I feel like that's something that is normal.

"Every [LGBTQ+] person I've known has known that they were part of that community since they were young, so I think it's important that they have those conversations in school, because that is supposed to be a safe space to talk about everything."

Coco Gauff has spoken out before

This isn't the first time that Gauff, who turns 18 on March 13, has spoken publicly about a controversial issue. In June 2020, as protests against the murder of George Floyd were happening all over the country, Gauff — who was barely 16 at the time — gave a passionate and powerful speech at a protest in her hometown of Delray Beach.

Coco Gauff of the US prepares to hit a return against China's Wang Qiang during their women's singles match on day one of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 17, 2022. - -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE -- (Photo by MICHAEL ERREY / AFP) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE -- (Photo by MICHAEL ERREY/AFP via Getty Images)
Coco Gauff spoke out against Florida's anti-LGBTQ+ bill on Wednesday before her first match at Indian Wells. (Photo by MICHAEL ERREY/AFP via Getty Images) (MICHAEL ERREY via Getty Images)

On Wednesday, Gauff said she sees similarities between the issues she has spoken out about.

"For me, I think that it's important that we have these conversations, and like I said before — I think it was in 2019 or 2020 when I talked about the Black Lives Matter movement — I said it was important to have those conversations. Same stance on this. I think it's important to have those tough conversations, and from the people that I spoke to who are part of the community, it definitely makes a difference when you don't have to hide who you are."

The Florida Senate passed the controversial bill Tuesday. It now goes to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been loudly supportive of the bill, for a final signature.