ACLU Sues Florida High School for Suppressing Free Speech (1/31/2008)
PONCE DE LEON, FL - A Florida high school has been trampling the First Amendment rights of students who support equal rights for gay people, according to a federal lawsuit filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union. In its lawsuit, the ACLU described an atmosphere of fear and censorship at Ponce de Leon High School, where the school board's attorney says even expressions like a rainbow sticker may mean students are members of an "illegal organization."
"All any of us wants to do is be able to talk about gay rights issues without having to be scared," said Heather Gillman, a 16-year-old junior at the school. "Nobody should have to worry about being kicked out of school just for having a rainbow sticker on your notebook."
The letter was sent after Gillman and other students approached the ACLU about an atmosphere in which students say they were routinely intimidated by school officials for things like writing "gay pride" on their arms and notebooks or wearing rainbow-themed clothing. According to students, problems began in September when a lesbian student tried to report to school officials that she was being harassed by other students because she is a lesbian. Instead of addressing the harassment, students say the school responded with intimidation and censorship.
"Writing something like ‘I support gay rights' on your notebook doesn't mean you're part of some secret conspiracy or shadowy organization," said Christine Sun, a staff attorney with the ACLU's national Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project. "Schools shouldn't be in the business of trying to frighten students into silence."
Stuff like this really pisses me off. As a former gay student from the rural South, I know first hand what it feels like to be in a school environment that actively suppresses and punishes gay students who dare to stand up for their rights. Schools have an obligation to treat all of their students equally. Public school administration is a function of local government, and all too often the local officials are either uniformed about what the law requires of them, or just too bigoted to care. Young gay people have enough challeges in thier lives as it is, and to see them subjected to this kind of systematic discrimination is deeply disturbing. Fortunately, this kind of thing IS illegal. Some school administrators with an anti-gay gay agenda count on the fact that kids don't know their rights, or that they won't tell anyone out of fear of being outed to their families. If you are a young gay student, or a friend of a young gay student, KNOW THAT THE LAW IS ON YOUR SIDE.
Let's hope the ACLU can put a stop to this school's hateful policies.
percivale
