Florida High School v. Rainbows
February 24 marks the 40th anniversary of the Tinker decision, a landmark Supreme Court case affirming students’ First Amendment rights to free speech in public schools. In honor of this anniversary, the ACLU has released a short video about a Florida high school that banned students from wearing clothing supporting equal rights for gay people. The principal at Ponce De Leon High School censored Heather Gillman and other students after they began wearing clothing with rainbows and other symbols of support for gay equality in response to anti-gay harassment at the school. After a trial, a federal judge ruled in Heather’s favor, finding that the school violated Heather’s First Amendment rights. Heather and countless other courageous students have followed in the footsteps of Mary Beth Tinker, her brother John, and their friend Christopher Eckhardt, who were suspended from Des Moines public schools in 1965 for wearing black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War. With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, the students filed a lawsuit, Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, which was eventually appealed to the US Supreme Court. In a landmark decision on February 24, 1969, the Court ruled in favor of the students, holding that students don’t lose their constitutional rights at the classroom door. The Tinker precedent is still used to determine whether a school’s disciplinary actions violate students’ First Amendment rights.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Well i have now heard it all. Pink Floyds “Dark Side of the Moon” album t-shirt that even has the bands name on it is considered a gay symbol just because it has a rainbow on it. What a joke, would that teacher have then blacked out the sky if a real rainbow was there, would he have thought its mother nature sticking up for gay rights. What an Ignoramus that guy is.
Glad this girl one her case, schools should never be allowed to stop students from sticking up for the rights of people.
There is new evidence of vaccine tampering that actually causes gay behavior to manifest. Could that be why the gays are increasing to around 10% of the human population? 10% in-your-face 100% of the time.
GOOD FOR YOU! Its nice to see that you stood up for yourself. How dare they allow a confederate flag, but ban the rainbow one. Pure bigotry. Nothing against the confederate flag. I”m aware its often related to southern pride, but freedom is freedom and I”m glad to see young teens doing something about it.
I take it you have personal experiences.
I go to this school and it is a very small school 500 students for middle and high school . it caused a big uproar and things got a little crazy . we dont have any blacks at our school , and we dont hate or say anything bad about gay students . our school is like one big famlily and mr davis just happened to make one mistake . i support both sides of the argument
I am so thankful that kids have the guts to stand up to this nonsense.
This has to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard. I mean come on. It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant some people can be.
Hey Chicks, just wait when you find your husband getting a blow job from his co-worker gay supported goo-gaw you dig! Just wait till you find your husbands peeper in a man’s pooper or a man’s peeper in your husband’s pooper. See how you promote gays then!
Stand up for discrimination!
Stand up for hate!
Stand up for legislated morality!
AMEN. I also hate how people turn it around.
If you hate gays, its all “You’re not confident in your manliness: GAY!”
if you support Gay rights: “You must have some reason for that….gay!”
He should be fired.
He was not smart enough to realize that the confederate flag is threatening to blacks.
It’s just a sign that the south is still sad that they lost the civil war. And I live in the deep south — Georgia born and raised.
Stand Up for LIfe
Stand Up for Straight Marriage!
Stand Up for Men and Women with Families!
Y E S W E C A N ! ! !
Are unicorns banned too?
Frequently when a person behaves with such blatant hate and ignorance, we later find out that they are closeted homosexuals, outwardly discriminating against others in a sad and selfish form of self hate.
Like Pastor Ted Haggard, former leader of the country’s largest evangelical org, and a outspoken gay hater — Until the male prostitute who serviced him and sold him meth went public. (At which point he was “cured” by God…)
OMG this guy is so fuckn dumb he made me lol. Send him to Iran!
I agree. And it is extremely ironic that they would assign him to teach American History specifically after such an egregious violation of his students’ civil rights. Maybe they put him there so he can learn something about America himself.
Good, he should however be barred from Teaching
They did. He is no longer principal…..Now he teaches American History at the school.
Is a rainbow a sign of Gayness? I never knew that. This is ridiculous who cares???? This fucking guy should not even be a Principal. Fire him!
I hope this gets wide circulation. I’m chair of the ACLU of Connecticut, and we get this kind of issue from time to time. Thanks to my Florida colleagues for getting the video up.
That’s awesome. I’m glad that there’s an organization (and a school girl in FL) that stands up for the true liberty and freedom of ALL people, not just the white, christian “culture” that dictates more than it truly listens and, hence, eventually cares.
A pink floyd shirt? Really? Can’t have rainbows… My gosh, this is ridiculous. God bless that Heather Gillman girl. Good for her.