Equity & Diversity Video

State Canceled School Club’s Queer Alliance Drag and Donuts, Here’s What Students Did Next

By Kaylee Domzalski & Ileana Najarro — April 10, 2023 2:38
Scarlett Seyler, president of Boone High School’s Queer & Ally Alliance Club, stands for a portrait outside the school's Orlando campus on April 6, 2023.

The Queer and Ally Alliance student club at Boone High School in Orlando, Fla., planned for its annual Drag and Donuts event on March 23, where a guest speaker would share advice on self-acceptance and self-love.

But following state officials’ call to Orange County school district leadership expressing concern over the after-school event’s appropriateness, the annual event got canceled.

That has prompted a strong response from some students, who see a big-picture threat to their rights.

As state officials move to expand the scope and educator penalties of the Parental Rights in Education law, known by opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, Boone QAA club president Scarlett Seyler shared how she hopes educators can help defend all students from such legislation, especially LGBTQ+ students.

Kaylee Domzalski is a video producer for Education Week, telling meaningful stories that impact the field.
Ileana Najarro is a reporter for Education Week covering race and opportunity in schools across the country.

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