#saygayanyway

May the force be with Mark Hamill’s response to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill

Mark Hamill

Star Wars star Mark Hamill offered a stellar response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

The proposed legislation—officially called the Parental Rights in Education bill and passed by Florida’s Senate on March 8—bans educators and others from discussing gender and sexual identities with younger students.

“Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards,” the bill reads.

And the measure, which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has indicated he’ll sign into law, is one of more than 150 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in the 2022 legislative session around the United States, CNN reports.

Related: Out senator breaks down during debate over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill

The day the “Don’t Say Gay” bill passed the Florida Senate, the Occupy Democrats’ Twitter account reported on students’ protests in the Sunshine State, saying these young people have made it clear they’re “going to #SayGayAnyway.”

And Hamill retweeted that missive—and wrote the word “gay” a total of 69 times.

Hamill has proven himself an LGBTQ ally before: In 2020, for example, he posted an “#LGBTerrific” poem about Finn and Poe, two Star Wars heroes whose chemistry was certainly noticed but never canonized.

Related: Queer talent has officially conquered ‘Star Wars.’ Are gay Jedi next?

When conservative commentator Ben Shapiro replied to Hamill’s “gay” tweet—accusing the Luke Skywalker portrayer of “parroting idiotic propaganda” to “indoctrinate small children into gender and sexual ideology”—Hamill had a cheeky rejoinder.

We love it when the last Jedi has the last word!

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