Rachel Bavaro, a high-school sophomore in Lynn, MA, says her vice principal made her cover up her T-shirt just because it said “All the Cool Girls Are Lesbians.” Bavaro says the administrator told her, “We don’t wear political things or inflammatory [things] or anything that could be deemed disruptive.”
Really? We seem to recall plenty of inappropriate T-shirts back when we were in high school, and that was in the 19th century!
According to WBZ in Boston, Bavaro initially followed orders, but she eventually posted a video online explaining how she feels it was her right to express herself. Bavaro then wrote a letter to Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy explaining the situation and—lo and behold—Kennedy came to her defense!
“I think it’s the adults that need to understand that the students have rights in the schools,” says the mayor. “They as administrators can’t run it with just their personal opinions and preferences in mind.”
The ACLU agrees. The group is pressing the school to issue Bavaro a formal apology:
How about we take this to the next level?
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“Offensiveness is not enough of a reason to interfere with freedom of expression even in the public schools, all kinds of things are offensive but you put up with it,” says ACLU counsel Sarah Wunsch. “That’s how people learn.”
Lynn English High School’s principal Thomas Strangie sees it differently: “I don’t think this is an issue of freedom of speech myself,” he told WBZ. “I don’t think people should be identifying themselves with their orientation, what their ethnicity is, what their religion is.”
So will you be sending home students wearing crosses and Stars of David? Or maybe just making them turn their “Kiss Me I’m Irish” T-Shirts inside out?
It’s not the bigotry that’s scary here—it’s the stupidity. This guy is in charge of education hundreds of young people.
Drew
Oh well. I really don’t care. I’m sure the school will claim that this is a dress code violation and just leave it at that.
LandStander
When commenting on the stupidity of other people, it is often wise to have an editor.
“…it’s the stupidity. This guy is in charge of education hundreds of young people”
GreatGatsby2011
“…and that was in the 19th century!”
Holy cow!! You have a staff member who is at least 129 years old?? That is one dedicated employee.
Dr. Dick
@LandStander: LOLZ
MikeE
@LandStander: I KNOW!
it SHOULD have said: “This guy is in charge of educationING hundreds of young people”
Dave
Here’s the thing about this shirt. I don’t have a problem with the school telling the girl she cannot wear this shirt. It is, simply put, exclusivist. Everyone would be up in arms if anyone wore a shirt saying “all the cool guys are straight”. I wonder how the ACLU would react if someone wore that shirt. Implying that you can’t be cool unless you are a lesbian is no better. While any student should be able to express their sexuality, this is absolutely not an appropriate way to do so.
Godiva
I wasn’t going to mention it, but I saw in the comments I wasn’t the only one, so I have to ask… was that sarcasm? Or did you mean to say the 20th Century, as in the 1900’s? If so… I’m sorry, that is a really, really easy mistake to avoid, and I’m a little shocked you made it. Kind of sums up why so many people give this site flack, to be honest, most people in the fourth grade learn to avoid that error, sadly. So, please, please tell me that was a joke!
Paul
@Dave: Good point, Dave. Hadn’t thought about it that way. Of course, in Mississippi, the high school boys probably *do* have a T-shirt like that, and the rest of the ass-backwards probably cheer it on. In MA, though, nah, that wouldn’t happen.
Shannon1981
@Dave: The thing is though, the reverse discrimination argument does not work when there is no equality. What you are suggesting is the equivalent of a white person holding up his fist and saying white power, co opting a symbol from the AA civil rights movement.
Dave
@Paul:
That’s true, and that disgusts me. But it doesn’t make it any better just because a gay girl is doing the same thing. If her shirt said “all the lesbians are cool girls” it would be different entirely.
However, the school is not prohibiting the shirt based off of its exclusive nature. It’s prohibiting the shirt because the principal says ““I don’t think people should be identifying themselves with their orientation, what their ethnicity is, what their religion is.” That is the problem right there. I don’t think the issue is that they banned the shirt, I think they’d be justified in doing that. But their reason for banning the shirt is completely backwards and unjustifiable.