Watch: Florida High Schooler Goes Viral with Stonewall History Lesson

A Florida high schooler taught his classmates about the history of Stonewall – and the lesson, which he posted on Twitter, has gone viral, local news channel WESH reported.

"I always thought that queer history needs to be taught in schools," Winter Park High School junior Will Larkins explained in comments to the media. "It's such an important and vital part of American history."

But, Larkins went on to add, it's only in three states where students learn about the struggles and contributions of LGBTQ+ Americans in their classrooms. In some states, sharing that knowledge is forbidden in schools.

WESH pointed out: "Not only is LGBTQ history not taught in Florida, the state recently passed the Parental Rights in Education law which bans teachers from any talk or lesson on sexual orientation in grades kindergarten to third."

But the law is broadly written, and it encourages lawsuits against schools and teachers. Advocates and students like Larkins fear "that teachers – even at high school grade levels – will refrain from openly discussing sexuality and gender identity in the classroom to avoid any potential conflicts with parents," the Washington Post said.

That would mean the law effectively erases LGBTQ+ history from class curriculum, withholding historical facts about the struggle for equality from students, including LGBTQ+ youth.

Larkins, who posts under "@Proudtwinkie" on Twitter and describes himself as an "intersectional lgbtq+ advocate," found the measure's passage into law to be "defeating," the Post relayed. But, the 17-year-old added, "it has energized me to fight even harder for as long as it takes until things are better."

Larkins, the Post noted, is "president and co-founder of his school's Queer Student Union," and he "testified against the bill in the Florida Senate on Feb. 28 and led a walkout of more than 500 high school students on March 7 in protest of the policy."

"Because Larkins's class had recently been learning about pivotal historical events from the late 1960s and early 1970s in America, he said he asked his teacher: 'Are we going to learn about Stonewall?' " the Post detailed. The teacher's response? "What's Stonewall?"

Larkins set out to educate the teacher in order to then be able to offer that slice of history to his classmates, creating a brief 10-minute talk in which he "shared insight on the riots, which were orchestrated by members of the LGBTQ community, and explained how they served as a critical juncture in the gay rights movement."

After the teacher saw his presentation, Larkins got permission to share it with the class.

"We don't learn queer history at all," Larkins told the Post. "It felt like something important that needed to happen, especially with the legislation in Florida."

"Larkins said that as a queer person, had the law been signed when he was a child, 'I don't think I would have felt safe growing up,'" the article went on to say. "He added that he has experienced bullying, harassment and homophobic attacks throughout his life: 'It is horrible, and I have struggled a lot.'"

"What has helped him feel less alone is being educated on the culture and history of the LGBTQ community," the Post added. "But now he sees 'a whole generation of kids in Florida growing up without that opportunity.'"

Larkins went on to tell the Post that the "Don't Say Gay" law "is going to harm people like me."

An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Larkins as having been suspended for organizing a walkout by Florida students.