Should activist t-shirts beworn in schools?

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Sun 4th Sep, 2011 in International News
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A US school has backed down after telling a student she could not wear a gay rights t-shirt.

Sara Couvillon, who studies at Hoover High School in Birmingham, Alabama, threatened school officials with legal action after she was told not to wear the shirt “for her own safety.”

Pink News reports that after Couvillon was assisted by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the school and the city’s education board was warned that they could face a federal lawsuit. Needless to say the school’s officials then swiftly backtracked.

“I’m very relieved and I feel like this is a major victory for the LGBT community in Alabama,” the 15-year-old said.

“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.”

Staff attorney at the SPLC Sam Wolfe welcomed the rethink: “We are incredibly happy that the officials at Hoover High School acted so quickly to restore the rights of this brave student,” he says.

“However, while the outcome is a good one, it is unfortunate that this fundamental right was denied in the first place.”

The school principal Don Hulin told CBS42.com that “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.

What are your thoughts? Should activist t-shirts be allowed to be worn in schools?

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coast_boy_21

coast_boy_21 said on the 6th Sep, 2011

Judge OK's Anti-Gay Shirts:

In the USA, Students at a west suburban high school will be allowed to wear anti-gay T-shirts after an appeals court ruling.

The ruling stems from an argument at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, where a student wore a shirt that read "Be Happy, Not Gay" back in 2006, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

The student wore the T-shirt to school after other students were allowed to wear shirts supporting homosexuals as part of the "Day of Silence" campaign.

But school officials asked the student to remove her shirt, arguing it could hurt other students' feelings. The student changed the words on the shirt to say, "Be Happy, Be Straight." Later, it was changed it to just "Be Happy."

After that incident, another student who wanted to wear a similar shirt to class filed for an injunction asking to suspend the school's ban, but the courts denied the request twice, according to the Sun-Times.

However, in 2008, the 7th Circuit Court reversed the lower court's rulings, ordering Neuqua Valley to end it's ban on the shirts until the lawsuits filed by the students proceed.

On Tuesday, the judge ruled Neuqua Valley does not have a legal right to prevent students from freely expressing their beliefs.

Copied from: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Judge-Okd-Students-Anti-Gay-Shirts-117234283.html

local_warming

local_warming said on the 6th Sep, 2011

once these arguments over tee shirts and the like,reach the courts, they just become an absurd spectacle that nobody needs

Iratei

Iratei said on the 6th Sep, 2011

http://rlv.zcache.com/funny_you_look_like_i_need_another_drink_tee_shirt-p235957189162739964f5kp3_250.jpg

pho3nixphir3

pho3nixphir3 said on the 6th Sep, 2011

i'm glad i got to wear uniform in primary and high school. and it also saved me from seeing all those lame 'funny' slogan shirts save for mufti days.

Totka

Totka said on the 6th Sep, 2011

I dont think any political or religious images should be worn at school. Its not appropriate and is likely to cause even more divisiveness and bullying in the school yard.