Florida High School Activist Jack Petocz, Organizer of Protests Against Book Bans and “Don’t Say Gay” Bill, Honored with 2022 PEN/Benenson Courage Award
Asia Kate Dillon said: “I hear from young people that seeing my character on Billions has helped them understand their own gender identity – and that this allowed them… More
Disciplinary Action Against Florida Student Jack Petocz for ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Protests Called “Unconscionable”
"By going back on their word and imposing a red mark on Jack Petocz's disciplinary record, the Flagler Palm Coast High School administration appears bent on retaliating against him… More
PEN America to Honor Florida High School Activist Jack Petocz for Organizing Book Ban and ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Protests Statewide
PEN America Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Nossel said, “The state of Florida has declared war on free speech through a series of measures aimed squarely to suppress expression. Jack… More
‘Alarming’ Suspension of Florida Student for Organizing Rally Against ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill
This comes as Florida moves to ban discussions of LGBTQ+ identities in schools, and books about LGBTQ+ lives are being removed from Florida's school library shelves. Petocz's efforts to… More
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🧵“The FSB’s arrest of @evangershkovich for ‘espionage’ is a shameless move to prosecute him for his reporting on the Wagner group, Russia's war against Ukraine and other topics Russian officials would rather bury,” said Polina Sadovskaya, Eurasia director at @PENAmerica.
"Amy was busy at her job in the outskirts of St. Louis, Missouri, when the officer strode through her open doorway... Someone had called the police department and reported that she had been giving pornography to children, a criminal offense in Missouri." https://www.codastory.com/rewriting-history/missouri-libraries-book-ban/
Thank you @pen_southafrica for standing in solidarity with Chinese poet Zhang Guiqi and paying tribute to him on the Empty Chair Podcast.
We continue to call with @pen_int and @chinesepen_org for his release from prison. He is serving a six-year sentence on trumped-up charges.