A teen was sent home for wearing a pro-equality T-shirt. Her school compared it to a swastika.

[babylonsister]

FTR, I love the shirt!!

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/08/teen-sent-home-wearing-pro-equality-t-shirt-school-compared-swastika/?fbclid=IwAR2R5t395QNTsNYUJPkQAo_m17hl2U9tA4TAA7cl7JEIcdaP_XEAzqkmxRU#.XWlxGFqXsVU.facebook

A teen was sent home for wearing a pro-equality T-shirt. Her school compared it to a swastika.
"He said that if we let her wear her shirt to school, then what's to keep us from having white supremacists come in wearing swastikas on their shirts."
By Alex Bollinger Friday, August 30, 2019

Photo: Renee Williams/via WTHR


A student in Indiana was sent home from school because she wore an anti-discrimination T-shirt. Her parents now want the school to apologize.

Eighth grade student Renee Williams wore a T-shirt to Highland Hills Middle School in Georgetown, Indiana, this past Wednesday that said “Why be racist, sexist, homophobic or transphobic when you could just be quiet?”

“She has four moms, she does have people in her life that are black, she has people in her life that are Hispanic, and she has people in her life that are trans,” her stepmother told WTHR.

“Of course she is a growing girl herself so she’s going to learn all about sexism.”

She was taken to the principal’s office by a teacher, where she was forced to put on a sweater.

snip//

The parents have reached out to a school board member, but were told that wearing an anti-racism T-shirt is the same as wearing a swastika to school.

“He said that if we let her wear her shirt to school, then what’s to keep us from having white supremacists come in wearing swastikas on their shirts,” the stepmother said.

On Thursday, several of her classmates walked out of class in solidarity with the teen.

[Downtown Hound]

1. That's the most ridiculous false equivalency ever. n/t

[CincyDem]

3. That kind of false equivalency is rampant in many areas.

And this is a great example of how school boards have been inundated with “the stupid”. They’re the same folks who believe there’s a war on Christmas and that discrimination against whites is the biggest racial issue facing us today.

[gratuitous]

2. Zero tolerance paves the way for this kind of cop out

Do the kids use "cop out" anymore? It used to be such a handy, descriptive phrase.

What the principal is saying here is, "I don't really know how to respond to someone wearing Nazi regalia at my school, so I'll just prohibit anyone from making a 'political' statement." Wouldn't want to risk anyone learning something at school.

[The Wielding Truth]

4. She is advocating for Constitutional Equal rights and Nazi's are against American equality.

It seems that positive messages should be allowed.

[maxsolomon]

5. Is there a "no political speech" policy in the district?

If so I can see how this is covered by it.

Ugh on the comparison, though.

[PoliticAverse]

6. The school would most likely lose a 1st amendment lawsuit. n/t

[Captain Stern]

17. How so? n/t

[PoliticAverse]

19. The test used by the courts in such cases has been whether the shirt is "disruptive".

I don't think any reasonable argument can be made that this shirt would qualify based on prior cases.

Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969)
https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/393/503/

Primary Holding
Since First Amendment protections extend to students in public schools, educational authorities who want to censor speech will need to show that permitting the speech would significantly interfere with the discipline needed for the school to function.

[Coventina]

7. I had a situation last year where a student wore a misogynist sweatshirt repeatedly in my class.

I was told that I could not do anything about it, by the school's lawyers, because it was a free speech issue.

[PoliticAverse]

20. What did the shirt say? n/t

[Coventina]

21. Feminism is a cancer.

And yes, I am pretty sure he was an incel loser.

[Doodley]

8. I agree entirely with the school. This kid looks like a trouble maker. Basic lesson -

go to school to learn, not to be a billboard. Sorry, that is too difficult to understand.

[Cartoonist]

9. So crucifixes are banned too?

Otherwise they'll have to allow Iron Crosses too.

[A HERETIC I AM]

10. FFS

[FakeNoose]

11. No American school should allow this type of clothing - politics aside

The school was correct in forbidding the shirt, however they were incorrect in equating it with swastikas. I'm sure this school has a clothing policy of some kind, because all schools in the US have them. As long as the clothing policies are enforced equally and fairly for all kids, there should be no reason for protest.

Whenever a school tries to liberalize its clothing policy, there will always be a kid who takes it too far.

[LiberalFighter]

12. The school is located in southern Indiana just East of Louisville, KY.

They have a Facebook page.

When I got there they had a Yes or No about opinion of the school. Clicked No and it asked how they could improve.

[lunasun]

13. Because being respectful is just like fascism

to haters
Their way their beliefs their race their idea of love and gender only!

[RainCaster]

14. I dunno...

My daughter (now 22) likes to wear rather militant feminist T-shirts to school. While my wife and I agree with the sentiment, we raised her that way, we don't think she should be so "in your face" about it. It tends to offend people long before they get a chance to know her better, and that first opinion is not the whole "her".

This young lady has a whole life ahead of her. Long after she has graduated college, will she want to be known by this one image? I love that she is being raised by a very open and loving family, this history will make her a more flexible person in the workforce and society. Especially if she can learn to listen before speaking. That T-shirt speaks first.

Food for thought...

[Igel]

22. It's a funny view.

"My offense and pain is always worse than your offense and pain. And if you disagree, it just shows how right I am."

However, the school was not equating them in any moral sense. It was saying, "Given our policy, if we allow this political expression that gives offense then we must, because the policy must be implemented even-handed in a content-neutral way, allow something that others would find even more offensive."

Of course, nobody wants to read it that way because saying they're "equated" when in a real sense they are parallel (but not in the way most people want to understand) because outrage is fun. Believe the worst of others, and it's easy to see one's own superiority.

[RainCaster]

23. Agreed

[Brawndo]

15. This school had better not teach the Constitution as it is anti-discrimination as well

[FiveGoodMen]

16. Same trouble with media, politicians, administrators ...

...they can't pick a side between fascist and democratic.

The jury's still out for them.

[Wounded Bear]

18. Wouldn't want to make the white supremacists uncomfortable...