School in Alabama backed down and Now Lets student wear Gay Tee
threatened school officials with legal action when she was told not to wear the shirt for her own safety.
The 15-year-old, assisted by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), argued that she had worn the ‘Gay? Fine by me’ t-shirt frequently and had never experienced harassment or threats.
The SPLC wrote to the school and the city’s education board to warn they could face a federal lawsuit. School administrators quickly backed down.
Sara said: “I’m very relieved and I feel like this is a major victory for the LGBT community in Alabama. This was not just about me – it was about encouraging people to be brave in standing up for themselves and standing up for their rights.”
Sam Wolfe, a staff attorney at the SPLC, said: “We are incredibly happy that the officials at Hoover High School acted so quickly to restore the rights of this brave student.
“However, while the outcome is a good one, it is unfortunate that this fundamental right was denied in the first place.”
School principal Don Hulin told CBS42.com: “The t-shirt at issue has not caused a substantial disruption and the student will be allowed to wear it. Our focus has been and will be on the learning environment at Hoover High School.”
There have been a number of recent high-profile cases of US LGBT students bringing legal action against schools.
Last year, 18-year-old Constance McMillen won $35,000 in damagesafter her Mississippi school barred her from taking a female date to prom.
This summer, two lawsuits were filed in the Anoka-Hennepin School District in Minnesota by six students who say the district failed to protect them from homophobic bullying, threats and violence.
Comments