Jack Petocz

Jack Petocz (born September 8, 2004) is an American activist and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. . He is the founder of Recall FCSB, the co-founder of the Florida Youth Action Fund, and the Director of Partnerships with the nonprofit organization Gen-Z for Change. He is gay and speaks about his experiences as an LGBTQ+ person.

As an activist, Petocz has opposed public school policies in Florida related to book bans, dress codes, and the "Don't Say Gay" law. His activism and writing about LGBTQ+ rights has been featured in FlaglerLive, The New York Times, and MSNBC.

Early life and education Petocz was born on September 8, 2004. He attended Rymfire Elementary School, Indian Trails Middle School, and Flagler Palm Coast High School.

On August 23, 2021, in an op-ed with Flagler Live,

Activism

Book bans in schools

In November 2021, Petocz organized a protest challenging the Flagler County School Board for a book ban which called to remove books about LGBTQ+ characters and racism in the classroom.

Petocz was featured in The New York Times for organizing the protest against the Flagler County School Board for banning Johnson's book from school libraries. Over 500 of the school's students attended the protest as well as thousands of others statewide. The law, HB 1557, officially entitled "Parental Rights in Education," prohibits discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in public classrooms in kindergarten through third grade and only when age-appropriate in higher grades.

Petocz obtained administrative permission to host the walkout but was later suspended for his actions as leader of the rally when he distributed pride flags which school officials said violated the school's code of conduct. A change.org petition to overturn Petocz's administrative removal resulted in over 7,000 signatures when Principal Greg Schwartz elected to rescind the suspension.

Petocz then wrote a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis in response to the bill's progression, requesting a meeting to discuss the potential impact of the GOP legislation and agenda.

Vanderbilt University As a first-year student at Vanderbilt University, Petocz participated in a sit-in protest at Kirkland Hall over the students' ability to vote on the adoption of a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions amendment to the constitution of the student government. As the sit-in was broken up by university police on March 27, 2024, Petocz was arrested. He was one of three students charged with assault and bodily injury to another following an incident with a Vanderbilt University police officer. Following a preliminary hearing by the university, he was among three students to be expelled. Personal life Petocz is openly gay. He is a participant at PEN America's Free Speech Advocacy Institute and was a recipient of the PEN America/Benenson Freedom of Expression Courage Award in 2022.