Student wins right to wear pro-Gay shirt to school |
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Seattle Gay News
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posted Friday, May 25, 2012 - Volume 40 Issue 21 Student wins right to wear pro-Gay shirt to schoolby Mike Andrew - SGN Staff Writer A court in Waynesville, Ohio, has ruled that high school student Maverick Couch may wear his 'Jesus is not a homophobe' T-shirt whenever he likes. 'Plaintiff is expressly permitted to wear the 'Jesus Is Not A Homophobe' T-shirt to school when he chooses,' the ruling reads. The Waynesville school district was also ordered to pay Couch $20,000 in legal fees. Couch first wore the shirt to school for GLSEN's National Day of Silence last year. At that time, principal Randy Gebhardt ordered him to turn it inside out and Couch complied. The next day, he wore the shirt again. This time Couch and his mother were summoned to the principal's office, where Gebhardt ordered him to remove the shirt. Couch again complied. After spending the summer researching his First Amendment rights, Couch asked Gebhardt for permission to wear the shirt again. The principal refused, telling Couch he would be suspended if he did. Lambda Legal than wrote Gebhardt on Couch's behalf, outlining legal precedents that supported the student's right to wear the shirt. The district responded that 'the message communicated by the student's T-shirt is sexual in nature and therefore indecent and inappropriate in a school setting.' Lambda Legal sued the district on Couch's behalf on April 3. The next day the school district offered to settle, saying Couch could wear the shirt on the Day of Silence but not otherwise. Couch rejected their offer and opted to go to trial. 'I just wanted to wear my shirt,' Couch said, 'The shirt is a statement of pride, and I hope other students like me know that they can be proud, too.' 'We're very happy for Maverick and all LGBT students in Ohio,' Lambda legal attorney Christopher Clark said. 'If school officials had any doubt before, it's clear now: First Amendment rights apply to all students on every day of the year, and efforts to silence LGBT youth will not go unchallenged.' |
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