Florida high schoolers avoiding universities in their home state, citing political concerns
Many LGBTQ+ students in Florida high schools are strongly considering leaving the State for fear of backlash after the passing of what are considered anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
Several young Floridians who identify themselves as members of the LGBTQ+ community highlighted their hesitation in their decision on where to pursue their higher education.
Many LGBTQ+ students in Florida high schools are strongly considering leaving the state for college due to political reasons, citing state legislation.
Per a survey by Intelligent, 1 in 8 Florida high school seniors cited Governor Ron DeSantis’ policies as a reason that they would not be attending a public in-state university.
Several young Floridians who identify themselves as members of the LGBTQ+ community spoke to Inside Higher Ed about their hesitation to pursue college in their home state.
[RELATED: Pro-woke professors leave Florida universities in protest]
“No one would fault Driggers if he, like many LGBTQ+ Floridians, decided to leave the state, which has passed a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ laws under governor and Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis,” the article said about a student named Cameron Driggers who identifies as gay.
Some LGBT students, like Jack Petocz are not leaving Florida because of a fear of discrimination but are not comfortable with the education they would be receiving under Governor Ron DeSantis.
“Given that Florida has initiated a takeover of our university system, I know my schooling would be hyper-politicized and often censored,” he said. Petocz told the outlet he will attend Vanderbilt University in Tennesse, and intends to keep ‘fighting the good fight.’
Students are also concerned about the defunding of DEI programs at Florida sate schools, Inside Higher Ed noted.
A similar exodus is happening among professors in Florida, as Campus Reform previously reported. Professors expressed hesitancy about moving to Florida “in the current political climate.” Other universities lost multiple professors, either for political reasons or because of better opportunities; and many open positions remain vacant, with few or no candidates applying.
