“Proud to be a lesbian.” “Support homosexual love.” “100% gay pride.” We already know wearing to school a t-shirt that says “I will get you into trouble. But now a homemade tee with those three phrases can be added to the list, as 15-year-old Ramsey Junior High School ninth grader Sommer Collins learned when she was suspended from her Texas school. Except let’s not bury the lede: Sommer was also attacked at school by a classmate.
Officially, Sommer was suspended for three days for “insubordination” after refusing to change her shirt, but her father David King says the shirt is “not profane. It’s not vulgar and if it offends somebody they need to get over it. … It seems insane [to suspend her]. I mean, it’s ridiculous, insane, it’s stupid. … I’m not a homosexual rights activist. I don’t agree with it, but just because I don’t agree with something doesn’t make it wrong.”
Must we once more go over the First Amendment rights of students in public schools? They may exercise their free speech rights so long as they don’t disrupt the regular activities of a school. Fort Smith Public Schools Deputy Superintendent Dr. Gordon Floyd says that’s exactly what Sommer — or, because of privacy laws, an unnamed student — did: “If [students] refuse to change their clothes the issue then becomes not what they’re wearing, but their response to the direction from the school administrator.”
At the end of the above KFSM news report, the anchor notes Sommer was also attacked two weeks ago at school in the bathroom. And, uh, ISN’T THAT THE REAL STORY HERE? That we have an incident — and it’s likely not a singular one — of violent bullying against a gay student? Is that itsy bitsy part of this story going to be addressed by administrators?
How about we take this to the next level?
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The reason it’s important to let young people express themselves through fashion, and make bold statements like the one Sommer did with her shirt, is to create a atmosphere of safety and acceptance — something Sommer clearly doesn’t enjoy at her own school. She was bullied by a classmate. Now she’s being bullied by her administrators.
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ewe
Smart and lucky girl. She is gonna get a fully paid college education at the expense of taxpayers looking the other way once again. Bravo to her.
Kent
Arkansas, not Texas. Moot point, but just sayin. We Arkansans like to claim as much rebel rousin’ as we can.
Sorry, Texas, but “Go Hogs” on this one!
AdonisOfFire
She should tell me who is bullying her, I’ll kick their asses and maim them!
missanthrope
Student is out as gay—–>Student gets harrassed because of that———>clearly the student is causing a “disruption in the learning process”——->Student get disciplined and sent home!
That people, is what we call blaming the victim.
Avenger
Her fault for wearing that shirt. Drawing unnecessary attention to herself.
Joe
Is it a national law that all public school administrators must be old, white pasty dough boys who always choose to be on the wrong side of issues?
Ran
So if the shirt was not profane and it was not disrupting regular school activities (which would seem to have to be quit a disturbance) then on what grounds would the administrator have to require her to change her clothing? If he had no grounds to ask her to do it in the first place then he was out of line and it could not be insubordination and would be an invasion of her rights.
David King
By Go! That’s what I have been screaming all along. What the enws didn’t report was that she was jumped in the bathroom about two weeks earlier for being a lesbian and, hold on to your seats, are you ready? THE SCHOOL DID NOT EVEN MAKE A WRITTEN REPORT ABOUT IT!!! Here’s you another kick in the head. Four of her friends wore shirts like Sommer’s on the same day and only two were asked to change.But, it caused this”really big disruption to their learning environment”. I don’t mind playing the game, just tell me all the rules up front and make them the same for everybody straight across the board.
David King
@David King: By God* Retarted ass, civil rights violating, bass ackwards idiots. Thats what we have running our public school system.