Credit to Education Week Credit to Haddon Lockyer
A school in Massachusetts is facing backlash after banning a 7th grade student from wearing a shirt that read, "There are only two genders," as his family prepares to sue the school. John T. Nichols Middle School in Middleborough, MA, sent 12-year-old Liam Morrison home in March after he arrived at school wearing the "two genders" shirt. In response, Morrison and his family put a piece of white tape with the word "CENSORED" written over it on the shirt, so the shirt read, "There are CENSORED genders." Morrison tried to wear the updated shirt to school, but he was sent home again. Now, the Morrison family has hired a lawyer to bring a case against the school for violating the student's First Amendment rights. The family's lawyer, Sam Whiting, said: "At this point, Liam and his parents have decided to take legal action because we believe this is a clear violation of his First Amendment rights. So, we're in the process of getting ready to file a lawsuit against the school." However, the school isn't backing down. In an email, Middleborough Public Schools Superintendent Carolyn Lyons the “content of Liam’s shirt targeted students of a protected class; namely in the area of gender identity.” Likewise, the school's lawyer told the Morrisons that they will continue to "prohibit the wearing of a T-shirt by Liam Morrison or anyone else which is likely to be considered discriminatory, harassing and/or bullying to others including those who are gender nonconforming by suggesting that their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression does not exist or is invalid.”
Credit to Enterprise News But Liam Morrison doesn't believe his shirt is discriminatory, and he says that it isn't meant to be "hate speech." He said: “I’m just voicing my opinion about a statement that I believe to be true. And I feel like some people may think that I’m imposing hate speech, even though it’s not directed towards anyone." He also says that his classmates have all "supported" him in his battle against the school, and that none have expressed that they were offended by his shirt. Whiting said he believes the Morrisons have good ground for a case against the school, as "Liam did everything correct in this situation." “We believe that we’re going to get a win on this. I mean, I really can’t think of a better fact pattern to vindicate a student’s First Amendment rights." During the Vietnam War, the Supreme Court ruled that students "do not lose their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech when they stepped onto school property" after students began wearing black armbands to school to protest the war. Since that ruling, political speech has been protected in schools. However, that doesn't mean that certain schools haven't tried to undermine the decision at times. Especially during President Donald Trump's campaign & presidency, conservative students clashed frequently with leftist school boards. In an interview with Fox News, Liam Harrison encouraged others to take a stand for what they believe in, no matter the consequences.
“Always fight for what you believe in and, well, never let anyone stop you from believing really. To be honest, in the place that we live, or in the time that we live, there are a lot of people that try and make it so that you’re not allowed to believe what you can. But, it’s being taken away from us. And being able to speak up not just about your own … being able to voice your opinion.” Have comments? Share them below. Recently, The Informed Youth announced our Insiders initiative. If you become an Insider, you'll get early access to some of our projects, a special "thank you" message from Haddon Lockyer, and more. Plus, you'll be supporting young conservatives. How cool is that? Find out more. The Informed Youth is America's newest conservative source for reliable and factual news, brought to you by the Nation's patriotic young people. Learn more about us by clicking here, and sign up for our mailing list below. If you would like to support our cause, click the Donate button below:
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