“I couldn’t imagine not being able to talk about your identity”- Coco Gauff criticizes Florida’s controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill
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Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff is already making a mark on the WTA circuit with her on-court achievements. The American has been a mainstay in the top-20 over the last two years. She has well spoken off-court persona as well, showing maturity well beyond her years.
Gauff, who currently resides in Florida, recently weighed in her opinion on her state’s controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay bill’. This bill was recently passed by the Florida Senate- titled ‘Parental Rights in Education,’ which bans classroom discussions about sexuality and gender identity in “primary grade levels”. Under this bill, it is prohibited any talk related to the LGBTQ+ communities in schools and legal action may be taken against them if they violate it.
The bill has caused a huge furor and has been dubbed the ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’ by activists. As the bill limits what classrooms can teach about gender identity in primary schools, activists have slammed the move claiming it will cause a stigma around LGBTQ people and strip away their freedom. Florida native Coco Gauff also voiced the same opinion and spoke out against the controversial bill. The American said this bill will limit the conversation around the LGBTQ+ community and people will feel isolated because of such rules.
“I’m against it. I think 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 that’s something that is normal. Every 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 place to talk about everything,” she said in the pre-tournament presser ahead of the Indian Wells.
Coco Gauff to take on Claire Liu at the Indian Wells
Coco Gauff will kickstart her Indian Wells campaign against compatriot Claire Liu in the second round. Seeded 16th, Gauff received a bye in the opening round and will now square off against Liu, who got the better of Viktoriya Tomova in straight sets. The 17-year-old will feature in the doubles draw as well with Caty McNally. Gauff is coming into this tournament on the back of her title triumph at the Qatar Open in the doubles with Jessica Pegula. She will be keen to build on this momentum and have another good outing at the Indian Wells.
Also read: “It’s going to take a lot of work” Lindsay Davenport evaluates Naomi Osaka’s chances in Indian Wells
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T Rushitha
(360 Articles Published)