BILLINGS — About 50 students at Billings Skyview High School walked out of class Friday afternoon in response to controversial anti-LGBTQ laws, as part of protests nationwide.
The students are protesting what they say are attacks on LGBTQ youth, specifically laws passed by several states.
One in particular: The recently passed Florida law that opponents have called the "Don't Say Gay" bill. The measure forbids classroom instruction on sexual and gender identity from kindergarten through the third grade.
"Part of the reason we are protesting is if a student already is not safe at home and isn’t loved. There should be no reason that a student shouldn’t feel accepted and loved at school too," Skyview student Andromeda Schenck said at the protest.
Supporters say the bill is needed so parents can have more say in what their students learn at school. They argue that LGBTQ-related topics should be left for families.
But these kids argue that school can feel safer than family.
These walkouts are happening across the country and many fear that these laws will be passed elsewhere.
