Remember Kate Cohn? I wrote about her HERE; she was the girl who wore the "Marriage is so gay" t-shirt to school and got herself in a boatload of trouble because she wouldn't take it off.
Well, now it seems that the ACLU stepped in and fired off a letter to the school, and officials have decided to rescind its decision to ban the shirt.
According to an ACLU release, the principal at Falcon High School told Kate Cohn that she couldn't wear a "Marriage is so gay" t-shirt, which she wore on election day in support of gay marriage rights. The ACLU called censorship, especially given that many students were all sorts of shirts to school with political, and social, messages emblazoned across their chests.
Rebecca T. Wallace, Staff Attorney for the ACLU: "Falcon High School administrators are censoring Kate Cohn's message of equality simply because they did not like what she has to say, but the First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees students like Kate Cohn the right to peacefully and quietly display their political message, even when that message is unpopular."
All it took was a letter, and Falcon High School determined that Cohn "is entitled to wear [the shirt]."
All it takes, in many cases, is speaking up.
Class dismissed.
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Kate Cohn is in hot water over her choice of attire for school.
Oh, not because it was too short, too skimpy, too see-thru, or too suggestive, but because of what was written on the shirt.
"Marriage is so Gay."
Yup, she's in trouble, but she's ready to fight, saying: "I have a lot of family members and friends that are gay and they don't have the same rights as us."
No, they, er, we, don't, Kate. No, we don't.
Kate Cohn decided to wear this particular T-shirt to school to show support for making same-sex marriage legal. Her principal didn't approve.
"It became a big deal and I refused to take it off," Kate said.
Good for her.
The District 49 spokesperson, and apparent clothing monitor, Stephanie Meredith, said, "Our district does have a dress code policy, all the students are aware of it." And, according to Meredith, the school's principal acted within the parameters of the school dress code, which gives an administrator room to decide when a line has been crossed.
So, speaking your mind about a social issue is crossing a line? Or, is speaking your mind about a social issue with which the school principal does not agree crossing a line?
Stephanie Meredith continues: "If it's obscene, lewd, or anything that might be disruptive to the educational environment. Those are things where a judgment call might come into play."
Let's see: support for marriage equality is...obscene?
Well, no, actually.
Um, support for marriage equality is...lewd?
Tell me how.
And then we have the all-encompassing, support for marriage equality is...disruptive to the educational environment?
Yeah, I think that's where they got Kate Cohn.
Oh, not that her shirt message was disruptive, but the rule is so arbitrary that any shirt can fit into it.
Got Milk? I'm lactose-intolerant and I'm offended. Remove that shirt.
See, educationally disruptive just means that someone might be annoyed by your shirt, and that means anyone, anywhere, any time, ever, in District 49 can object to any shirt, for any reason, as being disruptive. Marriage equality is not disruptive. It's the lack of equality that should cause the disruption.
And Kate Cohn is quick to point out that "abortion groups...have worn shirts, Christians have shirts and a club at our school." Talk about disruptive.
Kate Cohn faces no disciplinary action, though she did have to change her shirt, but says she will never change her mind, and she will continue to speak up: "I'm not going to sit down and give up. If I need to talk to senators, if I need to talk to the board of education, I will."
You go, Kate!
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